


Princess Emma

by lovingmydreams



Series: Happy beginnings [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2020-12-24 08:53:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 35
Words: 151,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21096764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovingmydreams/pseuds/lovingmydreams
Summary: Regina looks trough the door to the Nursery, watching the rise and fall of the young princess' chest. "Sleep tight Emma," she whispers softly before closing the door. She lets out a content sigh and smiles. When she took the second chance Snow offered her, she hadn't dare to hope for anything like this. But she truly was happy once more.Rumpelstiltskin's plan has derailed spectacularly. All because, in one moment of clarity, Regina made a different choice and the ripples from that choice change everything.





	1. I Regina's test

Princess Emma  
I Long live Regina  
I Regina’s test

  
“What are you doing?” Regina asks suspiciously as she tries to figure out what advantage Snow White can possibly have by opening the door to her cell.  
“I’m letting the woman who saved my life go.” The princesses’ voice is so sure, so hopeful… She’s being serious.  
“This is a chance to start fresh Regina. To leave the evil behind in this cell.”  
Regina can’t believe her ears. Not breaking eye contact she puts down the candle snuffer.  
She isn’t completely convinced that Snow doesn’t simply want to end her life herself.  
But even as she comes closer she can’t see the younger woman’s face falter.  
“Just like that?” she whispers, still dubious. After everything she put the girl trough, surely she hates her just as much now? How can she not want her dead?  
But the only change on Snow’s face is her eyes lighting up and a hopeful smile threatening to split her face in two. Unshed tears of joy even linger just beneath the surface.  
“Just like that,” she nods eagerly.  
For a second the darkness within her tells Regina to take advantage of this girls naiveté. To kill her now that she’s defenseless. And in another story she complies.  
However in this story, the woman that saved an unknown child from a runaway horse makes herself known. And she reminds Regina of the last time she had that same look of hope on her face herself. When she wandered her kingdom in disguise and discovered that Snow White was the only one left who still believed that she could be good.  
She also remembers the destroyed village that spoiled the chance to start over back then. She believed that this was when Snow came to hate her as thoroughly as she hates her. Still here she is. Offering her another chance.  
Her father begged her to give Snow and Charming a reason to spare her. To stop this tragic story once and for all.  
She can see how her life will turn out if she tries to kill her now. Even if she succeeds, Charming will execute her on the spot. Or make her spend an eternity in the coldest, darkest dungeon they can find. And even if she escapes… What then?  
All over the kingdom were people whom she tortured out of rage over her own broken heart.  
And yet Snow, whom she wronged most, still seems to believe she can change. It makes her laugh. An empty sound that makes the princess frown concerned.  
“You make change sound easy,” she breathes as she shakes her head and returns to her seat.  
“No one out there will ever trust me again… but I am tired of fighting,” she admits.  
“You always win.” A single tear rolls down her face as she comes to terms with this. She’s a villain, and villains never win.  
“I don’t want it to be a competition anymore Regina. I never wanted that!” Snow pleads.  
“Let me help you help yourself.” Snow extends a hand, a tear rolling over her cheek.  
“It’s too late,” Regina insists. The two children she banished to the endless forest and their father, hopelessly trying to find one another. Jefferson stuck in another realm, his daughter wondering when her father will get home. The girl trapped in her castle for the crime of caring for a monster even worse than herself. The huntsman robbed from his freedom that he valued so deeply...  
Only to name a few people whose life she has destroyed.  
She didn’t even want to think about the countless people that were killed in any one of her outbursts.  
“No it’s not. The fact that I’m still breathing right now is prove of that!” Snow objects passionately.  
This makes Regina pause. “This was a test?” she breathes.  
“Yes! And you passed! With flying colors.” It’s astounding how happy this makes the princess.  
“You are infuriatingly optimistic,” she groans. If she stays, will she have to put up with that?  
“One of the reasons why I love her,” comes the voice of Charming as the prince ascends the stairs.  
She scoffs and rolls her eyes. “Was he here the whole time?” she asks Snow White in a deadpan tone. Snow shrugs, but smiles. Eyes teary.  
“That’s the last time I trust to have privacy when talking to you,” Regina huffs, folding her arms in annoyance.  
“Please Regina. Let me prove to you that I’ve grown up. That I’m no longer the spoiled little Princess you once knew.” This makes Regina perk up. Sure she’s thought of Snow as spoiled ever since… that day. It’s astonishing, however, to hear the princess call herself that.  
“Don’t look so surprised,” Snow smiles as her Prince joins her at her side.  
The image stung. Regina can’t lie and pretend like she is suddenly okay with Snow White getting everything she took from her.  
Luckily her moment of epiphany also showed her that she has been doing a great job sabotaging her own happiness all by herself. Not listening to Tinkerbell and running away from her second chance at true love out of fear for example. Or deciding that the best way to hurt her mother was by denying herself the chance to ever have a child.  
She always found a way to blame others for her misery, but had she not personally punished everyone who dared to love her? Even her father paid time and time again for trying to save her. And if she keeps going the way she has been, she was sure he will pay the ultimate price for his efforts.  
So, instead of trying to do the same thing she has been doing for almost 18 years now, she will try to bear Snow’s happiness and instead focus on salvaging some for herself.  
Snow’s voice wakes her from her inner turmoil.  
“You remember when you sent me after those bandits?” She does, one of many plans that ended up backfiring.  
“You knew I was terrified and terribly underprepared to take the throne. Father spoiled me, trying to make up for mother’s absence in my life and in doing so failed to prepare me to take his place when he wasn’t around.” When had she become so self-aware?  
“I was no more than a damsel in distress. Hadn’t grown at all since the day that you saved my life. Except now I didn’t have the excuse of being a child anymore.” Charming hugs her closer, but Snow brushes him of. Again, surprising Regina.  
“No Charming. It’s true. I was scared and I ran away. But I met someone who taught me to be brave and to fight back. Still, if you had coddled me the way my father would have, I wouldn’t have made that first step towards being a hero.” Snow straightens herself and looks Regina in the eye.  
“If I can go from helpless damsel, to a hero with so many amazing people willing to follow me into battle. Then you can go from evil Queen to hero. Because when we met, you were a hero Regina. And I am ashamed that I played a part in turning you on a dark path. Let me help you come back into the light,” the plea is sincere, the offered hand reaches further into the cell, begging to be taken.  
Regina rises from her seat. Is she actually doing this? She has a lot to make up for and a lot to prove. The question is, was she willing to work towards that?  
She tries to imagine it. To, one day, far of in the future, earn the full trust of the kingdom back. To be a true member of the family Snow and Charming seem so fond of, even if it includes a… colorful variety of individuals.  
Despite the many things that irk her about the thought, she also find a small spark of hope in the images she conjured for herself.  
In the very least it will put an end to this cycle of getting close to victory and having everything blow up in her face. She won’t have to be ready to instill fear in her subjects at any point in order to maintain control. And… she almost smiles as this thought occurs to her… Her mother would go absolutely insane if she hears she gave up the fight for the throne.  
She straightens herself, standing tall and proud, she gracefully accepts Snow’s hand.  
Just because she accepts this truce doesn’t have to mean she’ll become a meek lamb. No matter what happens she is a queen and she will conduct herself as such.  
“I don’t expect my magic back right away,” she acknowledges reluctantly. “But please get me out of these rags,” she insists.  
Snow and Charming chuckle and lead her to a bedroom where they leave her with a few skittish maids who help her in a new dress and pull her hair back in a braid. It’s a nice royal blue color. Not the black she is used to, but that’s the point she supposes. In the end she should be glad it isn’t white. That would be a bit to on the nose.  
After the maids are gone, she takes a good long look at herself.  
She still looks royal, but she doesn’t doubt that she just got demoted… Or promoted. Depending how you look at it. She went from enemy of the kingdom –in charge or not, no one wanted her on the throne– to prisoner, to ally on a trial period. Now it’s a matter of securing that position and starting the climb up. She can still make up her mind about killing Snow White once she earns her magic back.  
As she looks at herself in the mirror she recalls the day she tried to find Snow by sending an arrow out for the one she hates most. How it showed her her own reflection. She finds that it’s still true. She closes her eyes and recalls the reflection she has been looking at for almost two decades now. Evil queen suits that image very well. It’s a terrifying figure. And it isn’t who she wants to be. This woman she recalls was never who she wanted to be. It was who her mother and Rumpelstiltskin wanted to turn her into. As she opens her eyes, she allows herself a small smile.  
She isn’t her old self, hopeful and light, that person is gone for good. But she isn’t the evil queen either, dark and fearsome. The woman in the mirror is hardened by life, but endured. She is determined and unafraid to fight. And no matter what anyone says, those are valuable attributes.  
She straightens her back and lifts her chin. She will never let others define her again.  
If allying herself with Snow White is the only way to start over then that is what she will do.  
She will prove she is the bigger person and repent for the damage she caused to the lives of her subjects. Earn back their trust and respect.  
Right now this is her new beginning and she will not mess it up.  
“Regina?” She turns around.  
“Daddy!” she exclaims with a relieved smile on her face as she walks over to her father and gives him a hug. It has been so long since the last time she allowed herself something like this. One more advantage of leaving the evil queen behind.  
“My sweet child… Snow White told me… I’m so proud,” he whispers as he holds her close.  
“Oh daddy. I’m…” she takes a deep breath. She might as well get used to this.  
“I’m so sorry. I know that is not enough, but I’m sorry for putting you through all this,” she tells him as a tear escapes her. She’s surprised at the huge weight that lifts from her heart as she speaks. She hasn’t dared to show her father how much she cares in ages. Last time she did anything remotely close to this she just rescued him from her mother’s clutches.  
“No Regina. I’m sorry. I know you told me there was nothing to forgive, but I shouldn’t have allowed your mother to scare me into letting her do this to you. I truly failed you as a father,” he tells her as he pulls back from the embrace and holds her hands.  
“Look at you. You look so beautiful.” Regina can’t help a chuckle.  
“Thank you… This is what a second chance looks like apparently,” she replies as she gestured towards herself.  
“I’m nervous…” she admits. “I don’t know if I’m ready to…” she can’t even muster the word ‘forgive’. She was definitely not ready for that. Luckily her father understands her even if she can’t say it.  
“You don’t have to sweetheart… But maybe you should consider how manipulative your mother could be. A ten year old hardly stood a chance.” That is true… Snow was a naïve child at the time. Her mother a grown woman who was living her dreams trough her daughter.  
Maybe she can accept that Snow White was most likely trying to help. Like how she is trying to help now. If she considers this whole thing as Snow’s attempt at making up for her own mistake as well as her chance at a fresh start… Maybe she can give Snow White a second chance as well?  
“What about me daddy… How will I forgive myself for all I have done? How will anyone ever trust me again?” she wonders. Prince Henry smiles sadly at his daughter.  
“That is a question only you can find an answer to my dear. You know what you did, you know the best ways to make up for it. Now, I was asked to help organize our living quarters. Snow and prince James want us to live here for the time being. Both for our safety and to assure the people that someone is keeping an eye on you I’m afraid.” She nods in understanding. She’s pretty sure she’ll be kept under surveillance for a while. If they are smart they won’t let anything up to chance. She still isn’t sure she won’t take advantage if they do give her too much trust at once.  
Old habits die hard after all.  
She takes a deep breath. No scheming… Or not towards Snow’s demise at least. But there is someone else who does deserve her wrath.  
She hugs her father once more. “No worries daddy. I know just what to do,” she assures him.  
He smiled in relief and after gently kissing her hands he leaves the room.  
She sits herself at the desk and starts to make a list of dark deeds that can be undone.  
Finishing off with a risky move, but something that would both bring her enormous satisfaction and be a show of appreciation towards Snow and her prince for their faith in her.  
Or well, Snow at least. James admitted that he was quite sure she’d fail. Regina would be more offended by that if Snow hadn’t argued that the runaway Prince didn’t known Regina before she got the moniker of Evil Queen. And if she hadn’t considered turning on Snow at least three times since being given this second chance.  
Just because she decided to try to change doesn’t mean she is suddenly rid of all of her darker instincts. She’ll just need to find new ways to quench those urges.  
Once her list was done she makes her way to the throne room where she finds Charming and Snow talking. From the sounds of it they are planning a wedding. Their wedding.  
Oh, yes. This will be hard to deal with. But deal with it she will.  
“Regina! Do you like the dress?” Snow beams in a way that makes Regina wonder if she had chosen it. She really has been rooting for her to pass that test. Which means she really wants this to turn out right for the both of them. Maybe Snow really sees this as a chance at redemption for herself too.  
It was surprising how much this means to her.  
If her stepdaughter didn’t do this just to be noble, but to genuinely try to fix what was done in whatever way she can… Maybe, maybe the world isn’t so black and white then?  
Maybe if the hero can make mistakes and try to repent, maybe the villains can do some good?  
Be good?  
This is a lot to think about, and now is not the time.  
“I appreciate the gesture,” she says slowly, before showing her the scroll. Snow leaves her throne and walks over to accept it.  
“What’s this?” she asks curiously.  
“People I’ve hurt that can be helped. And all the way down, the key to eliminating the dark one as a threat.” Snow and Charming exchange looks.  
“I know you’ve made many deals with him in the past, some because of me.” It was infuriating to see her teacher aid her enemies in any way. Not that they relied on him for solutions all the time. And, as is usually the case with him, if they did it often backfired in some capacity down the road.  
“And if I’m honest I don’t think I would’ve walked this far into the darkness if he hadn’t been encouraging me. He has a plan, and I feel like I’ve just derailed it.” As she explains this she thinks back to all his manipulations. How he has a way of encouraging her to do things that will let the darkness grow more and more. Always warning her against it, but not really trying to change her path for the better. Rumpelstiltskin likes to say ‘I told you so’.  
And there isn’t a thing he did or said that isn’t meant to push someone down a certain path.  
“Luckily,” she continues. “I managed to secure a trump card a year ago or so, without his knowledge. I wanted to beat him at his own game. Manipulate the manipulator into ruining his second chance at happiness. Maybe I made him a bigger problem in the process, but I suppose we’ll never know for sure.” Oh, but she knows. She knows how much Belle came to mean to him and she knows that losing her the way he thinks he did is slowly driving him mad. Or madder than he already was.  
The fragile tone of his voice when he asked if Belle needed a home, the hope that he could make amends… she can imagine exactly what kind of pain the dark one found himself in when she crushed his hope in front of him.  
“Regina… I have to confess something,” Snow utters as she takes out a small dagger.  
“This dagger is enchanted. The way he explained it is that if you had tried to kill me with it, you would have cursed yourself to be unable to ever hurt us in the enchanted forest again. It was a safety precaution so to speak.” Snow’s eyes beg Regina to understand. And she does. She actually feels more respect towards the young princess for not stepping into the lion’s den without any means of defense.  
“I wouldn’t let Snow give you a chance without a safety net,” Charming ads standing behind his bride to be, ready to jump in front of her should Regina lash out.  
“I understand,” she assures them. “Only an idiot would approach someone with my past with nothing but a sweet smile.” Suddenly something clicks in her. She knows why Rumpelstiltskin wanted the Charmings to curse her.  
“This does mean that capturing the dark one is a first priority. If he wanted me unable to hurt you here, he wanted to push me to sent you away. Once he finds out I passed your test he’ll get to his plan B. And I don’t want to find out what that is.”  
Snow frowns. “Away? To where?” she asks.  
“A land without magic. There is a curse that allows the caster to basically sent the entire enchanted forest to another realm where all except the caster have to live fake lives, designed by the caster. In theory, it would allow me to take away everyone’s happy ending and they’d never even know I did this to them.” A part of her finds a small bit of satisfaction in seeing how frightened Snow and Charming look as they hear that. How they hold each other tighter at the thought of being without the other. More importantly she starts to put the pieces together in her mind.  
For some reason Rumpelstiltskin has been working towards this curse all this time. And he has been grooming her to do it. Has been grooming her mother to groom her to do it. All her misery was just fuel to the fire that’s supposed power his plan.  
“Why not cast it himself?” Charming wonders as he rubs soothing circles on his fiancé’s back.  
“All magic comes at a price,” she quotes. “And we both know the dark one likes to avoid paying those.” Loopholes. It’s all about the loopholes with that man.  
Snow looks down at the list, all the way to the bottom.  
“Belle?” she reads surprised. “I met her a few times as a child. She’s a really sweet girl. What does she have to do with any of this.” Ah yes. Snow probably doesn’t know about that scandal.  
“I was chasing you through the enchanted forest at the time, so you probably missed that piece of gossip. Lady Belle exchanged her freedom for her kingdom’s safety from the ogre wars. She served Rumpelstiltskin for about six months, they actually grew… fond of one another. But then he kicked her out, because I’d tricked him into thinking that I was using her to get to him. Which was somewhat true, but instead of beating me, he played into my hand. Next time I saw him, I told him that she was dead and that it was his fault. While in fact…” she trails of.  
Snow sighs. “She is in your… care.” Regina quirks a brow.  
“Let’s call it that,” she allowed with only a slight roll of her eyes at the younger woman’s reluctance to call her misdeeds by their name. Then she gets back to business. Time is essential.  
“For this plan to work I’ll need squid ink, my travel mirror and a way to get to the dark castle,” she instructs.  
“And back up. I won’t let you go all by yourself Regina,” Snow insists.  
“Where do you plan on getting squid ink? It’s not exactly easy to harvest,” James ads.  
“Name number four,” is all she says, a little smug if she was honest.  
Snow looks and gasps in disbelief. She looks up, waiting for an explanation.  
“I kind of took her voice to keep her from calling out to her prince.  
Good news is, last I heard he’s still traveling and without fiancé. So I’ll give her her voice back, and then in exchange for the squid ink I’ll give her a bracelet that lets her walk or swim whenever she likes.” She can see the look exchanged between the two lovebirds in front of her. They probably aren’t sure if it’s right to force the mermaid to do something for them.  
“She’ll probably do it for me without bribe,” Snow suggests. There it is. Typical goody two shoe logic. Then again if she is going to try and change, she’ll probably have to stop thinking like a villain and start to at least consider giving the way of the heroes a shot.  
“Probably… Fine. I’ll give her what I promised her first time around.  
Just make sure you ask her for the squid ink before she swims off to find her boyfriend.  
And have one of your little friends pick the necessities up from my room in my castle. I have a box with everything I need for that in my castle. It has her name on it, can’t miss.”  
Snow and Charming look surprised.  
“What? I figured I’d need her help one day and could give her the legs as extra motivation.  
But now, as extra reward for helping she can have her prince’s exact location,” she suggests. Snow and her prince seem to find that better for some reason. She supposes the word ‘reward’ sits better with them than ‘bribe’.  
“That is assuming she hasn’t been stalking him the whole past year,” she mutters.  
Snow, to Regina’s surprise, giggles at that. She expected a scolding for saying bad things about her friend. “Ariel did seem like the type to keep a close eye on him if she couldn’t be by his side,” she admits.  
“So? Are we agreed on this ‘stop the dark one from scheming to ruin more lives’ crusade?” Regina asks impatiently. Though she is mostly trying to hide her nerves. Time is something they can’t afford to waste.  
“So it is true,” comes a soft, surprised voice. Ugh.  
Regina turns around with a displeased look on her face. Not only the blue fairy, but all the other members of the Charming couple’s war council, have come through the door she apparently left open earlier.  
“You truly are trying to do the right thing.” Regina can’t help but scoff at the baffled look on the blue fairy’s face. Seriously. Is that really so hard to imagine?  
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” one of the dwarves objects. Angry or something like it. She probably should try to learn the names. If only to be able to follow basic conversations in the castle.  
“I agree. Snow here might think you are hero material, but that’s youthful naïveté. A condition I’ve been cured from long ago!” the old widow Lucas insists.  
“I think she deserves a chance to prove herself. Especially if it involves kicking the dark one’s but,” her cloaked granddaughter argues.  
“I rest my case,” the old woman insists, causing her granddaughter to roll her eyes at her.  
A loud chirping draws the attention to the living doll, who bents his ear towards his shoulder where his little cricket friend no doubt is giving it’s two cents.  
“Jiminy says that everyone deserves to get a chance to change. And I agree. If the blue fairy hadn’t been willing to give me a chance I would still be a doll,” Pinocchio explains.  
“And I know from experience that people sometimes are dealt a bad hand and wander from the path of light,” Gepeto adds with a kind glance towards his oldest friend.  
Regina bites her lip. A thousand sarcastic remarks are just at the tip of her tongue, but saying any of them will only be a waste of time. Rumple sees the future, and while she doesn’t know how that works exactly she expects that every moment now, the path he originally tried to walk down will completely disappear. She can’t hope that he won’t notice.  
“Listen, I don’t have magic so for now even the cricket could end me,” she reasons with those reluctant to trust her.  
“I can do this, but only if you are willing to let me.” She locks eyes with the blue fairy, who bows her head, looking ashamed. Now there was a fun twist in the story she never saw coming.  
“It would seem… Tinkerbell was right to see good in you.” Oh… Tinkerbell… a name she somehow forgot to put on the list. She doesn’t even know where to begin looking for her, let alone make amends.  
“I can see it too now, underneath the surface. Maybe, if I hadn’t turned my back on you then… Maybe things would be different now,” she ponders this for a moment. Then she nods decidedly.  
“I will aid you in your plan to restrain the dark one. And I will help you transport him to a cell where he can do no more harm,” she vows.  
Regina nods her head in thanks. “Fine! But I’ll be watching you sister,” the angry dwarf warns.  
It seems like everyone is willing to at least wait and see what will happen.  
“Good. Let’s catch ourselves a dark one,” Regina declares.

[A different story: First Impressions](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/50219756#workskin)


	2. II Changing course

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina proves her sincere intentions by turning against her old teacher and bringing some happy endings to people she hurt.
> 
> What does Rumpelstiltskin think of this turn of events?

Princess Emma

I Long live Regina

##  II Changing course

_‘This is it’_. Regina thinks, playing smoothing out the skirt of her black dress, as her carriage approaches the dark castle.  
She glances at her father for courage. Henry looks at his little girl with concern. He never likes it when she goes near that man.  
“It’s fine daddy. I have the quill ready to trap him. The dwarves should be done with the cell at this point. They are hard workers if nothing else,” she tells him, trying to reassure both of them. He takes her hands and smiles at her with pride.  
“I believe in you dear.” Once again Regina allows herself a smile.  
“Take a good look daddy. After today, you’ll never see the evil queen again,” she promises gesturing to her clothing.  
“I must be honest, I won’t miss her,” he admits. Regina smiles, she has to agree.  
“Let’s rid ourselves of that imp then,” she says decidedly.  
She leaves the carriage and, putting herself in the mind space of someone who just got denied her vengeance for a final time she storms towards the doors.  
She throws them open with force, causing the Dark One to turn from his spinning wheel with a knowing smirk on his face. He thinks he has all the cards, he thinks he has the whole plan. But fact of the matter is, the game just changed and he is still playing by the old rulebook.  
This gives Regina the courage she needs to ease the last of her nerves.  
“What a lovely surprise dearie,” he says in his usual flamboyant, sing song voice.  
“Oh, spare me. You know what you did,” she sneers. Her only response is his insane giggle.  
“Don’t tell me you’re angry. It was just business. They wanted something from me, I wanted something from them. We made a deal. Nothing personal,” he assures her.  
“You have been training me in magic for years. Teaching me to embrace darkness, to put my revenge before anything else! And now, you keep me from ever touching a hair on their heads again! What game are you playing?” She doesn’t have to try hard to sound upset. The feeling of betrayal is real enough.  
“It’s not as bad as it seems dearie,” Rumple tells her casually as he returns to his spinning.  
“How?” she asks as she leans against the dinner table with folded arms.  
“Well. You can’t hurt them in this world. In another world though…” he looks at her and smiles wickedly. “Now that’s a different story isn’t it?”  
She raises her brows and then slowly lets her confused face turn to one of understanding.  
“Well now. Go get what you need. You want everything to be perfect to make your grand entrance at the Royal wedding!” Rumple tells her.  
“You knew this would happen…” she whispers as if she is just putting pieces together now.  
“Even before we met, you made sure this day would come… Why?” that is her in. The price she will put on his lovely maid’s freedom.  
“None of your concern dearie,” he dismisses her. But she hears the brief hesitation, notices the way he avoids looking at her. And now she truly wants to know. What is it he hopes to gain out of this extremely long game he is playing?  
“Perhaps. But how about I give you something in return?” she suggests.  
Rumpelstiltskin giggles. “You? Give me something? There’s nothing you have that I could want.”  
She loves how sure he is of that. It is fantastic, being able to prove him wrong at every turn today.  
“Actually,” she says slowly, ‘regaining’ her confidence and poise. As far as the Dark One knows she just regained direction after being thrown terribly of balance by the Charming’s curve ball.  
She produces the scroll with the contract she drafted up and puts down the bottle of ink. Ordinary writing ink of course. She is pretty sure Rumpelstiltskin will notice a whole bottle of the one substance that can stop him.  
“I came prepared,” she grins. Rumpelstiltskin stops his movements. Clearly surprised. Good, he should get used to that feeling.  
“I was going to trade you for a way to end Snow white and her Charming prince despite the curse you had them put on me, but since you’ve been so generous, I’ll trade you for one honest and clear answer to one question, asked by me.” It’s unlikely he’ll have time to sign. But in the event he does she will have to choose her words very carefully if she wants to avoid wasting her question.  
She is curious what all this has been leading up to. And the chance to be able to ensure that he never got whatever it was he’d been after is very tempting. Still, she doesn’t get her hopes up.  
“And what would I be getting in return?” he asks, dismissively, but also mildly curious.  
Regina grins. “Your precious maid’s freedom of course,” she purrs as she produces the mirror that is showing a nice view of a cell and more importantly the young woman that sits there.  
Rumpelstiltskin jumps up and grabs the mirror. Completely losing composure. It was sad and funny at the same time. “Belle!” he exclaims incredulously.  
“Oh please. She can’t hear you. She’s healthy though. Three whole meals, regular clean change of clothing. When it comes to prisons, she doesn’t have the worst conditions,” she informs him. The rage in his eyes is both a source of fear and triumph to her. She has his attention now.  
“Release her now!” he insists. She holds up the contract.  
“One signature and I’ll let my guard know to set her free. A nice gown and a warm bath are already prepared, plus a carriage to take her wherever she wants to go,” she tells him as she shows him the quill.  
Recalling how much he regretted sending her away, he can’t help but jump at the chance to get her back. To make it up to her, to keep her safe. When he is reunited with Bae they’ll be a proper family. He’ll find a way to get out of telling Regina about his boy once she asks her silly question. And once she outlives her usefulness he’ll get back at her.  
“Deal!” he shouts and grabs the pen, not even looking at the contract for longer than he needs to see where to sign, but before he can do so he feels he’s paralyzed.  
Regina laughs triumphantly. “Finally, I finally outsmarted you. That feels good.” She pries her mirror from the frozen hand. “Let the girl out.”  
“Wha…” Rumple manages. Regina smiles.  
“Surprise. I took someone else’s deal. Can you guess?” she asks smugly.  
“Impossible,” he gasps.  
“Not quite. Your Belle is free to go wherever she wishes.  
Can’t promise you’ll ever see her again though. It’s entirely up to her. But,” she sighs and her voice softens. “She’ll know that when offered a choice, this time you chose her. For old times sake.”  
Isn’t that what heroes do? Give small acts of merci to their enemies after their defeat.  
“Take him away,” she instructs, and Blue appears. “With pleasure,” she tells her and gone he is.  
“Your majesty.” Regina sighs as the voice from the small mirror in her hand.  
“As promised, this is the last time. I just needed all my usual assets with me to sell the whole thing. Though I don’t know for sure where to start with getting you out. Wish magic isn’t something I’ve ever tried to undo,” she tells him honestly.  
The face in the mirror falls slightly but responds dutifully: “I understand my queen.”  
“My fairies and I will help. There must be something we can do,” Blue insists.  
“I hope so. Until then. Have you found the children and their father?” she asks.  
“Back at home, and they know you are the one who gave us a way to locate them all.” Regina nods. That’s another deed undone. Ariel was sent to the last known stop of her prince and the huntsman, Shaw as he now lets them call him, has regained his heart and freedom. First thing the fool did was pledge allegiance to the Charming’s and their bloodline for as long as he’ll live. Sickeningly really. Most surprising though was that he thanked her as well. It was… Strange to get gratitude when she did anything. It was… nice. She dismissed the man though, not knowing what else to do.  
“Good. Then we have to find a girl named Grace, we’re getting her father free next.” She takes a deep breath. “He’s in wonderland.”  
Both the fairy and the former genie make a face at that. Yeah, breaking him out won’t be easy.  
Still they’ll have to try. If not for his sake, then for the little girl who was waiting for her father.

Miles away in the castle of the soon to be king and queen of the realm Rumplestilskin appears in his cell. This is all wrong. It should still take months before he ends up here. After he tricks Cinderella into signing away her child, which will urge the savior to trade the child’s freedom for a favor, which will be instrumental in getting Bea to talk to him.  
How did this happen? How did Regina take such a different path without him noticing? It’s true that the way certain events play out isn’t always clear to tell, but he always knew how to lay the cards just so to make sure they will play out to suit his needs.  
If he can’t make Regina cast the curse –and if she was aligning herself with the blue fairy of all people, the chances of that happening were dwindling fast– how would he ever see his boy again?  
Before madness can overtake him however someone walks into the light of the torch near his cell. “It’s true. You do care for me…” a voice whispers. One he was sure he’d never hear again.  
“Belle?” he whispers afraid to belief. But as the figure steps into the light he sees her face and, more importantly, her incredulous smile. She is happy to see him.  
“I told them it wouldn’t work… That you wouldn’t fall for it, but you chose me.” A single tear falls down her face.  
“I don’t make the same mistake twice,” he whispers.  
“They gave me this, before letting me come inside.” She shows him the dagger. He is surprised and for a moment there is fear on his face. Of course with him here there was no one stopping Regina from retrieving it from it’s hiding place. But why is Belle the one holding it? It is the real dagger he can hear it’s call even in this cell designed specifically to hold him.  
“Prince James says, because I care for you, I am the only one who can have it and not use it for evil.” He can hardly belief it. Regina has truly turned a page. If not, she would have kept the dagger to herself instead of sending it off to someone with a heart as good as Belle’s for safekeeping.  
Knowing this, and knowing that his apprentice will most likely fight to stay on this new path he starts to weigh his options.  
“They won’t let you out for now,” Belle voices his thoughts. Sounding apologetic for something that was his own fault in the end.  
“But with time, when they are sure Regina is on the right path, they might be willing to help you return to the light as well.” The hope in her eyes breaks his heart. He knows he’s not strong enough to fight the darkness. Especially not with Bea still out there. Still, he’ll have to fool everyone into believing that he wants to. Even her.  
“I have a longer list of bad deeds than the queen Belle,” he tells her. He can allow himself to be honest with her about that at least. Give her every chance to run and never look back.  
“I know, but you can’t give up hope. I know you’ll find him again.”  
As she says this he can see the new path time is spinning. The savior… Somehow fate wills her and his son’s paths to cross, even now. He always thought he is the reason they would meet. But maybe there are other forces at work. He probably won’t understand it until everything has happened, but it seems like the girl will still be born during the fall of next year. The same girl he put all his hopes on. To break the curse, to find his boy…  
“You’re right. Maybe there’s always hope, even in the deepest of darkness…” he mutters. Belle smiles trough happy tears as he says this.  
“So, you’ll be visiting me?” he asks, tentatively giving hope a chance.  
“Of course. I have faith in you,” she vows.  
They talk for a while about her plans. She tells him that she was freed hours ago and brought to the castle where they told her they needed to stop Rumplestilskin from going on a warpath after having his plan fail. She apologizes for thinking he wouldn’t fall for their tricks, he forgives her. She then explains how they let her sit in a cell in one of the towers to wait for a little while. Charming held up the mirror until they heard Regina tell him to let her out.  
Then she changed back into the yellow gown she is wearing now and was led to the dungeon to see him.  
He gives her permission to take his castle for her own. She never did get to enjoy her library after all. She tells him about the journeys she’ll be making and how she will tell him all about them as soon as she returns from each one.  
After a while Belle gets told she’s invited to dinner in the palace. She reluctantly says goodbye and tells him she’ll come back as soon as she is settled.  
As her footsteps die out in the distance Rumple smiles to himself. Allowing a vision of his boy standing in front of his cell door next to the savior to bring him comfort. He isn’t sure how long he’ll have to wait, the vision isn’t that clear. Years, that much is certain.  
But even if it took another lifetime he’s willing to wait.  
And once he has him back, anyone who stands in their way better watch out.

[A different story: Hopeful wishes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/50334224)


	3. A clean slate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a visit to wonderland to save Jefferson, the Charming's are ready to officially welcome Regina into their family as an equal.  
Is Regina ready though?

** Princess Emma **

I Long live Regina

III A clean slate

Regina releases a deep sigh as she brushes her braid back over her shoulder.  
The mission to Wonderland was nothing like she thought it would be. Not that it went wrong…  
The plan was pretty straight forward:  
Find a magic bean, which they did and use Jefferson’s hat to enter Wonderland with a team of three. Snow, her Prince and herself.  
She was to distract the queen, which was easy enough. She had a whole speech about all the ways she is intentionally disappointing her now, which would no doubt get her full and undivided attention. No matter how cruel she was, Cora wouldn’t kill her only daughter, not unless it is absolutely necessary for her own survival. Which is why it is Regina’s task to distract her.  
During the mother daughter reunion, Snow and James would find Jefferson. Then take the hat portal home with a new party of three.  
Regina, trying to be noble for god knows what reason, told them not to worry about her.  
If her mother captured her, all she’d need to do is wait for an unguarded moment and use the bean to get out. By the time they realize what she did the portal would be closed and her mother would be left alone with the kingdom she wanted so badly.  
If she managed to escape her mother’s wrath before being thrown in a cell, she’d use the portal once out of sight. Same ending there.  
This was as straightforward as anyone can hope for a plan that involved spending any time in Wonderland. And it had gone as well as one could expect too.  
Her mother was dumbstruck by her appearance in her court. Which gave Regina the chance to start a rant about everything she blamed her for. And how idiotic it was that she finally had her own kingdom and still wanted the enchanted forest, still wanted to use her daughter to accomplish her own vain ambitions. It felt good to tell her that. Even better was to tell her that she was done being her pawn. That she had not only given up the throne but will personally crown Snow White queen. That was improvised, but as she said this she realized it was a good idea. An official statement to not just the Charmings, but to the kingdom as a whole.  
Her mother was speechless and Regina never felt so powerful.  
Meanwhile the Charmings came across an unexpected ally. A young girl named Alice who happily helped them find Jefferson, in Wonderland known as ‘the Mad Hatter’ in record time.  
To absolutely no one’s surprise she wasn’t a fan of the queen of hearts.  
Jefferson was held captive and ordered to try to make another portal hat. Which he couldn’t. He started rambling about his daughter once he understood that the two strangers that arrived with Alice were there to help him.  
This should’ve been where they took the hat back to the enchanted forest to wait for Regina to return on her own. Snow however managed to send Alice in her stead right after Charming.  
Apparently the princess has a death wish. She arrived to the court just in time to hear the bit about Regina’s plan to personally crown her queen of the enchanted forest. Apparently it touched her and proved to her that she made the right call to stay behind and make sure Regina got home.  
Regina then told her mother that she’d successfully imprisoned Rumpelstiltskin, impressing her for the first time in her life.  
Then an explosion had gone off not too far from where they stood. Most guards were sent to deal with the ambush, a small escort was tasked with dragging her to a dungeon to await her mother’s judgement. They were ambushed however by Snow who, to Regina’s astonishment removed the magic binding spell from her wrist and told her to either poof them away or blast the guards.  
“Whatever’ll make you feel better.” She smiled as she said it. As if they were old friends who’d been in worse situations.  
She tested her magic by blasting a few guards away while Snow used her bow to knock out two others. Then she made them disappear to a meadow not too far away.  
During the short battle she asked if something went wrong, which was when Snow had given her the essentials of what had happened on their end. Which is how she knows that the younger woman purposefully separated herself from her party and chose to join her.  
“We’ll talk about this later,” she told Snow, like a mother who was about to ground her misbehaving teenager, before throwing the bean and dragging her trough the portal, which closed right when the guards caught up to them.  
Now that they are back in the throne room, Jefferson reuniting with his daughter not too far away and James running towards his wife in relief, the events of the past… half hour, come crashing down on Regina. She wasn’t as prepared to face her mother as she thought. Sure she said all she needed, but the fatigue she feels now shows how terrified she was during the whole ordeal. And then Snow’s stunt…  
“What the hell were you thinking? If I say don’t worry about me, get home. Then you get yourself home. How hard is that!?” she demands. She has to vent her frustration somehow.  
“If I’d known you had a death wish of your own I could’ve saved myself the trouble and just waited until your stupidity got you killed.” She doesn’t know why she cares really. Just that morning she fought the urge to swipe a butter knife from the breakfast table. But perhaps that is it. Here she is, trying not to kill Snow White on a daily basis and what does she get as thanks? Suicidal tendencies.  
If Snow got herself killed then who would believe Regina if she said it wasn’t her fault?  
Is the princess that selfish? Does she need to be a hero that badly?  
“And don’t start about the girl. It sounds like she was on her way to an exit of her own without your help just fine. She didn’t need that portal to get back to her home.”  
Snow has the decency to look embarrassed. “I couldn’t… I wanted to make sure that you made it back for your second chance. And then… Regina did you mean what you said?” she asks, disbelief clear in her voice.  
“I did, but right now I don’t know if the kingdom is better off with you as queen,” she insists, not wanting Snow to change the subject.  
“What are you two talking about… Snow?” James asks.  
“Regina told her mother that she wanted to be the one to crown me queen James.” James’ eyes widen. “And when I gave her her magic back she took both of us to a safe place and she made sure I followed her trough the portal.” Now James is looking at Regina as if seeing her for the first time.  
“Regina. Thank you, for keeping Snow safe,” he says earnestly.  
“Wasn’t hard. Just didn’t think I’d have to. There was a reason why I drafted the plan so you would be with her. Keep her in check next time.”  
“You saved my papa too didn’t you?” Regina looks down. It’s Grace who is looking up at her with surprise and interest. She feels really uncomfortable under the young girl’s stare.  
“Well… It was my fault he was stuck there in the first place. It was only right that I’d help bring him back,” she argues begrudgingly. What is wrong with her? For years all she wanted was praise and now every time she gets even the smallest show of gratitude she feels the need to downplay her actions.  
“You poked that madwoman with a stick,” Jefferson insists. “Are you sure you are the same woman that forced me to go there in the first place?” Regina sighs and waves him off.  
“As agreed there’s a reward for your help in retrieving my father. A guard is waiting for you in the hall and he’ll escort you and your new riches out. Do with it what you will,” she tells him. Jefferson picks up his daughter and bows to her and then to Snow and her Prince.  
When they left the room, Regina turns back to her stepdaughter.  
“One last chance Snow. What the hell were you thinking? Did it occur to you that no one would’ve believed me if something went wrong and you never made it back home?” Snow’s face falls. Clearly it didn’t.  
“I was careful,” Snow protests weakly.  
“I spent enough time as a bandit to know how to handle these kind of things. The distraction would divide the bulk of soldiers between the presumed attack and the queen. Leaving you with a minimal entourage. All I needed to do was create an opening for me to give you your magic back and we’d be in the clear since the guards weren’t prepared for either of us.” So she did give it more than a second’s thought.  
“Why come for me in the first place?” she demands.  
“It… it felt wrong to leave you on your own, especially without magic…  
I don’t leave my friends behind ever. And we might not be friends, but when you are risking your life for one of my subjects I’ll treat you as one anyway,” she explains honestly.  
Regina looks at Snow, really looks at her. When had she grown so much? For the first time she truly sees a woman, not a child that doesn’t know anything of the world. It will take a while before the fact that Snow has become an adult really sinks in, but right now she can see a woman worthy to be called a queen. Her gaze leaves no room for argument. She made a decision and will stick by it.  
She sighs and looks to the Prince. “It’s not too late to change your mind James. She’ll cause you to go gray by the time you turn thirty,” she warns.  
“Was that a joke?” Snow giggles in disbelief.  
“I’ll take my chances,” James smirks, then he takes a deep breath, checks their surroundings and continues in hushed tone. “And it’s David, actually. James was my twin brother.” Regina is taken aback.  
She already knows of his true name and heritage due to her dealing with king George in the past, but he doesn’t know that. Or at least not the fact that she knew of his name and where exactly he was truly born. It is his way of showing that he trusts her. And, she realizes now, so is Snow coming to her aid and giving her her magic back.  
“I’m aware, but I figured that you weren’t ready to let the whole newly merged kingdom know their future king is a shepherd just yet,” she tells him. Her way to show that she has been thrust worthy all along.  
James –David, lets that sink in for a moment. “Oh…” is all he says.  
“When did you tell your bride to be about your true heritage?” she asks curiously, officially allowing the incident to slide. The pair smiles at each other and hooks their arms together.  
“Right after we broke the sleeping curse. I told her every little detail about my life. And she told me all about hers. Come, let’s have something to eat while we talk. We have something to celebrate after all,” David states as they start walking towards the dining hall. Regina frowns curiously as she follows right behind them.  
“Celebrate what?” she asks trying to remember if it is Snow’s birthday. No that can’t be it. It’s September. Snow is a winter baby.  
Charming maybe? Or is it their anniversary?  
“Well with Jefferson we have almost completed your list haven’t we? And you’ve officially earned our trust and your magic back. If that isn’t cause for celebration then I don’t think we’ll ever celebrate again.”  
He is being dramatic, but his words do strike a chord. Two actually. The first is one that makes her feel… Not quite happy but hopeful. The second comes right after and makes her scoff in frustration.  
“So one week of not trying to kill you two and I’m all cured?” she asks them incredulously.  
Snow turns to her and smiles patiently. “We are not claiming that years of pain and hardships are gone now Regina. We’re saying we are willing to trust that you are truly trying. Every single thing you’ve done today, and the past week for that matter, proves that you are really doing your best.”  
Regina huffs again. She doesn’t feel like she changed. She is still angry. She still hates that Snow gets her happy ending while she doesn’t. She just… knows that it is wrong to hold her personally responsible for every single tragedy in her life.  
“Ah, there you are!” Her father smiles in relief as they enter the dining room.  
He walks over to embrace his daughter holding onto her for dear life.  
“We weren’t gone that long daddy. Getting the bean yesterday took longer than retrieving the man,” she reminds him, negotiating with pirates was never fun, and Blackbeard was a particularly nasty one to deal with.  
She knows why her father was nervous about this mission though. Even with how urgent it was, she purposefully took a bit longer to nail down the details of the plan.  
Not that it wasn’t needed. Her mother was every bit the dangerous foe Rumpelstiltskin was in her own way.  
“I know, I know…” He lets her go and takes her hands. Immediately noticing the absent bracelet.  
“Sweetheart… Does this mean?” Regina rolls her eyes. All this fuss...  
“Regina needed her magic to get away. And she’s proven that our trust wasn’t in vain,” Snow tells him proudly.  
“This is splendid news.” He then whispers to her as Snow and David go to sit at the table:  
“I told you you could turn your life around.”  
She smiles weakly before following her father to their seats. She eats and drinks with them as if they are a happy family. Trying very hard not to think about her returned Magic. About how much pain she still feels. About how she wants to find that moment of relief she always felt when inflicting something close to her pain on someone else. She tries to focus on how the emptiness returned soon after. How the pain would burn at the edges of that empty hole that grows just a little bit bigger after every tragedy. Then she remembers the huntsman’s respectful ‘thank you’, the way Grace’s eyes had sparkled when she asked her if she really helped save her father. The grateful and awed look Jefferson gave her as he pointed out how terrifying standing up to her mother is. Even the teasing glint in Snow’s eyes when she came to her aid when she didn’t have to. None of these things had cured her aching, but each soothed the edges somewhat, in ways nothing else ever had. It was harder to obtain, but worked better.  
She just has to remember that.  
“Regina?” Snow calls her attention, sounding nervous.  
“What?” she sighs, she still feels tired from the emotional rollercoaster that was her talk with her mother.  
“Well… Are you… We’d understand if you don’t want to, but if you do… You are invited to our wedding.”  
_“Killing her won’t help, or not for long. Whatever you managed to built the past few days would disappear.”_ She reminds herself.  
“I don’t think, I’m ready for that quite yet. When is it?”  
“January 21st,” Snow answers.  
“Technically it’s more of a public renewal of our vows,” David admits with a gentle smile to his love.  
“Oh?” That’s news to her.  
“There was an impromptu wedding in April,” the prince explains, with a suprising sadness in his eyes.  
Snow holds his hand in comfort.  
“His mother was dying, it was her last wish…” she whispers, her voice breaking.  
David pats her hand. “We did what we could. It was her time,” he sighs.  
Snow looks down. “Actually, there is something you don’t know about that day yet...”  
Oh… Regina glances at her father. Should they leave?  
“Your mother didn’t want you to know. I didn’t know until after the ceremony,” she explains tensely.  
“We should maybe go,” her father states as he and Regina rise from their seats.  
“No, you’re family. It’s fine by me if it’s alright with Charming.” Snow looks at her… well husband Regina supposes. Charming nods carefully, still looking confused. Snow takes a deep breath.  
“That morning, Lancelot brought me to the king. He talked about how he and his wife had loved each other and had been happy until she was cursed to be barren… Your brother was his only shot at having a son, and when he died he had all his hopes of family in you. He was completely crazy, as if it’s your fault that he’s a horrible vindictive man with no heart.” Regina sees the tear roll over her cheek. Is this really a conversation she should listen into? She appreciates the gesture she supposes, but she can tell she isn’t the only one who feels out of place. Her father looks like he is trying to disappear.  
“Snow…?” David presses.  
“He gave me the same curse that befell his wife…” she tells him.  
“But the pendant. It… That’s why you were so relieved,” he realizes.  
“When your mother tried it earlier that day it didn’t move at all. She suggested that the water from the lake might cure me like it would cure her… Charming. She never drank the last of the water. I wanted her to drink it, but she didn’t.” Snow’s tears are falling freely now, begging her Prince to understand that she hadn’t killed his mother.  
“Only after you used the pendant again did I realize what was in the chalice.” Charming sighs as he lets it all sink in. And then he silences Snow with a kiss. It is short and gentle. Just enough to tell her that he doesn’t blame her.  
He smiles at her and lays a hand on her stomach.  
“One day, we’ll have a child. Thanks to her. And though I haven’t met our baby yet. I know, without a doubt that if I ever need to choose between my life, and their happiness, I’ll chose to keep them happy and safe above all else,” he vows.  
Regina lowers her yes at the exchange. Not because of the pain that Daniel’s death left, no. This is for a different kind of pain.  
“Regina? Are you okay?” Snow asks.  
“Yes. I’m just tired. If you’ll excuse me?”  
She kisses her father goodbye and leaves for her room, where she allows the tears to fall silently as she busies herself with reading trough the magic books Belle brought to the castle about wish magic. The genie in the mirror still needs to be liberated. She pretends not to notice his regular check ins, but hopes that seeing her study during almost every free moment is a comfort for him.  
After a while, and barely any progress, a knocking at her door calls her attention.  
“Regina? Can I come in?” Snow asks. She takes a deep breath, might as well get it over with. The Charmigns will keep checking in until she gives them something.  
“Fine,” she allows as she sits down on her bed. Maybe talking about it will help. Lashing out at everyone with a child hadn’t, so she might as well give it a chance.  
Snow White enters the room and looks over at her vanity where the books and scrolls are spread out. She smiles understandingly. “No luck?” she asks.  
“Wish magic is… Very hard to alter. Chances are he’ll never go back to being a free man again.”  
Snow sighs sadly as she approaches the mirror.  
“My father’s last act of kindness wasted,” she muses. “I’m ashamed to admit it… But when you told me about who he was and how he got in there… I knew that you’d manipulated him, but he still made the choice to kill my father, a man who’d shown him kindness. My first thought was, serves him right… Isn’t that horrible?” she confesses looking down in shame.  
“Do you want me to leave him there?” Regina asks. Snow’s eyes widen in shock.  
“No!” she shouts in fright. Regina manages a small smile.  
“Then it’s not horrible to think he deserved a little bad luck for killing your last living family member.”  
Snow relaxes at that. Apparently comforted by Regina’s assurance. She supposes she is an expert on horrible impulses.  
Snow White comes to sit next to her and laughs softly to herself.  
“I’m sorry it’s just so strange. If anyone had told me a month ago I’d be sitting next to you like this, I would’ve been worried for their sanity,” she explains. Regina thinks about that for a minute and lets out a small chuckle of her own.  
“I probably wouldn’t have responded so kindly,” she admits. Snow smiles a little awkwardly and nods in agreement. They clearly aren’t quite at the point where they can joke about the past freely.  
“Do you want to talk about it?” Snow asks carefully after a moment.  
Regina sighs deeply. “Well you made me listen to your private talk with your Prince. Might as well get back at you by unloading my baggage.”  
Snow blushes as she realizes that her stepmother and step grandfather didn’t try to leave because they felt unwelcome to the conversation, but because they were uncomfortable.  
“Sorry, I wanted to…” she hesitates, not knowing what to say.  
“Prove that you trust me I know,” Regina assures her stepdaughter before she can get too worked up about it.  
“The subject of children is tough for me… a little more than two years ago, my mother came here from Wonderland. She claimed to want to help me find happiness and had a suitable new husband for me. I got my hopes up. For an hour or so I actually believed that she wanted me to be happy. And then I found out that she’d told the man that he could be king so long as he convinced me he was my one true love and ensured I got a child. I knew mother would use that against me, or even dispose of me and use the child as a more obedient puppet. So… to get back at her…” she feels a tear escape.  
“You made yourself barren,” Snow realizes sadly.  
“Yes,” Regina whispers, her voice breaking even over the single syllable.  
“I’m so sorry. Are you okay with Charming knowing? That way we can both take your feelings into account should we get pregnant.”  
Regina shrugs. “It’s fine if he knows, but I’m not a delicate flower. Besides once your little bundle of joy starts growing it’ll be hard for me to miss. I’ll deal…” She then thinks of something else that makes her smile in amusement.  
“Wait if you’re already married… Did you two…?” Snow’s cheeks darken dramatically.  
“No, no… No. We haven’t been living in a castle for that long and well… We wanted to wait until it’s really official. The wedding at the lake was more… It was for Ruth’s sake. More of a promising ceremony. Besides we want to wait until on our honeymoon. When we can… Relax.” Regina’s smile grows at the younger woman’s embarrassment. Oh, this is just too easy.  
“Well, as your stepmother I have responsibilities…” she starts dangerously.  
“Oh, gods please don’t!” Snow begs, causing Regina to laugh wickedly, but also more genuine than Snow has heard her since Daniel died.  
“Well there’s still time,” she smirks. Then she catches sight of the pendant around Snow’s neck. “There’s gipsy magic on that thing.” She notes. With her own magic unbound her ability to detect enchantments had returned to it’s original strength and after spending so much time around Snow without sensing any magic, it was easy to detect the glow of this spell on the otherwise magicless princess.  
Snow looks down. “This is the pendant Ruth gave me…” she then smiles and takes it off.  
“Do you want to know what we’ll get?” she asks with a mischievous smile.  
Regina hesitates. “Charming doesn’t know. He forgot what was what and I wouldn’t tell him.  
North to South is a boy. East to West is a girl.” She lays the pendant in Regina’s hand, not allowing it a chance to swing, not wanting to confront the woman with it’s stillness. Regina sighs and then smiles. It is a sign of friendship, she realizes and she is willing to accept this olive branch, like she accepted all the others that were practically thrown at her head today.  
She holds the pendant over Snow’s hand and watches it swing. She smiles, only slightly pained.  
“Congratulations. I’m sure she’ll be lovely,” she tells her.  
“Thank you.” Snow takes back the pendant. After putting it back on she turns to Regina.  
“We are calling the kingdom together for a big announcement later this week,” she tells Regina.  
“Yeah, they’ll want to know about the big wedding coming up,” Regina reasons.  
“Actually we want to officially declare that you are no longer the evil queen. That you are our ally and working on undoing your past mistakes where possible.”  
Regina takes a deep breath. Now that is a grand gesture. And she understand that as leaders they need the people to know where things stand. So as nervous as the thought makes her, she nods in agreement.  
“Those you’ve helped so far are spreading the word Regina,” Snow assures her.  
“Sir Maurice has already sent his support. And Ariel sent word yesterday that she found Eric, they both send their best wishes. More will follow. It won’t be easy, but we’ll stand by you no matter what.”  
Regina nods. Snow is right. She already has some people vowing for her best intentions. Not the least of which is the Blue Fairy. If she thinks she deserves a chance then others will have to give her the benefit of the doubt.  
Then Regina is struck with an idea.  
“Remember what I told my mother? The thing that got you all misty eyed and heroic?”  
she allows a little anger to sneak back into her voice. She will hold that stunt over the girl’s head until the end of time. In fact if her daughter ever does anything even remotely reckless she will make sure to bring this incident into the conversation somehow.  
“… yes,” Snow replies slowly.  
Regina smiles. “What if we hit two birds with one stone? We tell the people I’m on your side and we show them it’s true by having me pass on the crown to you.” Snow gasps and nods eagerly.  
“That is a great idea. I’ll tell David at once!” And off she is. Regina sighs and goes back to her research. There is a spell she saw earlier that shows some promise of being useful if tweaked just so.

* * *

Regina is pacing the floor. Charming and Snow are addressing the people. She has to wait on her que, walk onto the balcony, her father will follow with the crown on a pillow, she will give her speech, crown Snow White and then there will be applause. That’s all. After that she can go to her room and lie down.  
“Are you alright your majesty?” she turns and sees Amin standing by the mirror.  
She didn’t manage to break the wish’s spell, but has altered it just enough.  
Amin, as he chose to be called, can now leave his prison and go back to the mirror world whenever he wishes. When he is outside his reflection he has to remain visible in the mirror itself.  
He has to be able at any point to gaze upon Regina’s face. Therefore she has to carry a little mirror with her at all times as well so he technically can see her whenever he wants.  
Amin offered Snow and Charming to use his free access to the mirror world to gather information. They told him they’ll be sure to ask him if they have need for such things.  
“Fine Amin,” she sighs as she makes sure her dress is flawless and her hair is still in place.  
“You look perfect dear,” her father assures her.  
“Will it matter? They’ll still see the evil queen,” she whispers defeated. What was she even thinking?  
“They’ll see Queen Regina because that is who you are,” prince Henry insists.  
“And now, here to celebrate this grand new time of light and hope! Please welcome, our ally, Queen Regina!” Oh gods save her.  
Regina pushes away her nerves and walks forward to the balcony as elegant as ever, not showing her nerves on the outside. The balcony looks out over the castle courtyard where many of their subjects are gathered. There are tribunes where the invited nobility of allied kingdoms are sat and in the center are commoners from neighboring villages who came out of curiosity. The confused and fearful murmurs are a clear indication that they haven’t forgotten about her former moniker.  
“I don’t expect any of you to ever cheer for me. I realize the scars I left on this kingdom may run too deep. But, if there is one thing Snow White wants to inspire in others it’s hope. She has fought me all this time with hope that one day she would win the battle that seemed to be hopeless.  
So, if you will follow her into the future, then follow her in her hope. Hope that even an evil queen can find the path of Light again. I don’t think you to be fools. I won’t pretend that I have left all my darkness behind over the course of a few weeks. Darkness is a part of me, but I chose to no longer be a slave to it. And, in pursuit of that hope.” Regina turns to her father and picks up the crown. She shows it to the people of the kingdom.  
“This crown has been worn by the rightful queen of late king Leopold’s kingdom for many generations. And now it shall return to it’s rightful bloodline.” She turns to Snow White.  
“Ready for this? You can still chicken out.” It’s a joke and Snow smiles.  
“I’m not a little girl anymore. I can do this,” she tells her with fire in her eyes.  
Regina nods and raises her voice again.  
“Snow White! Daughter of King Leopold and Queen Eva. Are you willing to accept this crown?”  
“I am!” The princes declares.  
“Will you wear it with honor and exhibit the goodness fit for a queen?”  
“I will!” She swears.  
“Will you lead this kingdom with hope and justice in your heart even through the darkest of days?”  
“I will!” Regina sees Charming beam at his Princess. She doesn’t falter.  
“And will you defend the needs of your people first and foremost?”  
“I will!” Regina smiles at Snow and nods. The Princess takes a knee.  
“Then, it is my honor to return to you your birthright with this crown.” She says as she delicately places the heirloom on the dark culls of her stepdaughter’s head.  
“Rise, Queen Snow White! Long may she rein!” The crowd erupts in cheers and chants.  
“Hail to the queen, Hail to the queen!” Regina claps along and breathes a sigh of relief. She is so glad that is over. And glad that nothing went wrong.  
Charming and Snow wave to their subjects and allies while Regina tries to subtly walk backwards so she can disappear to her room.  
“I know that this is a pretty big occasion. And it’s pretty daunting to try and add anything to it. But there is something I have to ask of your queen.” He goes down on one knee.  
“Oh, Charming. Really? Now?” Snow asks exasperated.  
“When else?” he smirks at her.  
“You know I come from humble beginnings. But I will fight valiantly by your side. If we get separated, I will find you. And I will do the same for any children we may be blessed with. If you’ll have me?” Charming sounds nervous. As if there is any chance she will say no.  
“Yes,” she smiles, and then louder for their audience: “Yes! Of course I’ll marry you!”  
The celebrating that beaks out is overwhelming and Regina claps along with a small smile on her face. Who would’ve thought that one day she’d find herself here, celebrating Snow White’s happy ending?

[Embarrassment](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/50461403#workskin)


	4. A Charming Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina is on the first row to the start of this new family she once sought to destroy. Can she find her place? Can she find happiness? Join me as we find out.

##  Princess Emma

** I Long live Regina **

** IV A Charming Family **

Regina walks through the hallways with her head held high.  
No longer in defiance of suspicious stares, but with justified pride in herself. It has been a whole week since the last time she’d last had to suppress a dark urge.  
In fact, she is starting to genuinely like her life here.  
Most of the castle staff is getting over their nerves around her. And aside from a few exceptions, most of the members of the Charming war council, of whom she now knew all the names, almost treat her as one of them.  
The wedding is tomorrow and she feels ready to be there.  
Not just that, but Snow White asked her to take over Queen duties during the two week long honeymoon. She’s had the pleasure of embarrassing her stepdaughter by giving her ‘motherly’ advice almost daily since the proposal. Her father is happier than she has seen him in ages. And she can’t remember the last time she felt this relaxed.  
She wishes she could go back in time and tell her 29 year old self that letting go of her hate and making the best of her situation will save her eighteen years of struggling through heartbreak and self-loathing. She isn’t cured of the pain, not by a long shot. Daniel’s body is still preserved in her family’s crypt as evidence of that. She knows that at some point she has to lift her spell and let go. His spirit has moved on to the next life. She should move on too.  
No matter how often she tells herself this though she can’t bring herself to do it.  
She lets her musings rest for now, she has arrived at her destination. She knocks on the door.  
“Can I come in?” she asks as she stands in the doorway of what soon will be Snow and Charming’s bedroom. She still can’t belief those two have slept in separate bedrooms all this time.  
Sure Charming was using the room right next to theirs. The one that will be turned into the nursery for their child one day. Still, it seems like a stupid balancing act between what they want and what is expected of them.  
Snow is playing nervously with the drapes of the canopy bed.  
“I can’t believe I’m really going to do this Regina,” she whispers.  
“Oh, no,” the former evil queen says in an almost accusing tone.  
“You are not going to chicken out on the evening before you get everything you’ve spent six years fighting for,” she scolds the young woman. She did not go through all this personal growth, learning to make peace with Snow White’s happy ending, only for her to call it off last minute.  
“That’s not it… It just doesn’t feel real…” she whispers.  
“Alright,” Regina sighs. Sort of understanding how otherworldly this must feel.  
“Look at me.” Snow does as she was told.  
“I am not going to come in and ruin the day. I paid a visit to Maleficent who has the curse and all villains are agreed, even Cruella. That curse must not be cast, ever so we’re keeping it safe under lock and key. The only person alive who wants it to be cast is in your dungeon. And there is no other villain who has it out for you… Right? King George maybe, but he can’t afford a full on attack. Even if he manages to assemble an army, with all the allies you’ve managed to make over the years you are much too powerful an adversary. He is vengeful and crazy, but not that crazy.  
If you want I can check in on Rumpelstiltskin in his cell to make sure he’s still stuck in there and not about to make a grand escape...”  
Snow shakes her head. “Belle’s with him right now… Last I heard from her he seems okay with the arrangement.” Regina frowns. That is actually a reason for concern. One should never want Ruplestilskin to be happy with where he is. Regina can see Snow relax however and isn’t about to bring that up. Something is still bothering her stepdaughter though.  
“You already did this once remember? And he asked you. He’s not going to stand you up.”  
How did she get here again? Is she really comforting Snow White as if they are close friends?  
“You love him, he loves you. All that’s left is say ‘I do’ and you’ll live happily ever after.” Seriously why is this stubborn woman insisting on making this hard? Is this another test or something?  
Snow nods. “I know…” she sighs. Then laughs.  
“I’m really looking for a problem where there’s none. You’re right. I’m the only one who can stand in the way of my happiness now. And I’m not going to do that.”  
Regina nods, satisfied that she did her job.  
“Here,” she says, remembering why she came in the first place.  
“It was a gift for my sixteenth birthday from my father.”  
Snow gasps in delight. “I was missing something borrowed,” she breathes as she studied the hair comb. It’s decorated with iron roses and pearls.  
“It’s beautiful, thank you so much Regina.” Regina just shrugs and leaves.  
“Go get your beauty sleep, and no sneaking off to your Prince. After tomorrow you are together forever,” she reminds her before closing the door. After a moment of silence she hears the excited giggling one can expect from a bride to be, then the heavy wooden door slams shut behind her.  
“My queen!” A voice calls from the mirror she carries at her side.  
“Yes Amin, what’s the news?” she asks as she makes her way to her bedroom further down the hall.  
“I have checked everywhere I could think off. There seem to be no plans to crash the wedding from anyone in this realm.” Regina nods and feels a weight fall of her shoulders.  
“Thank you Amin. I appreciate your help. If something goes wrong now, I can at least be sure that I did what I could.” Sure she doesn’t have to, but fact was, if something does happen and she finds out there is something she could have done to prevent it, she will start questioning her progress and she doesn’t need that in her life. Others are free to think what they want. The only opinions she valued was her an her father’s.  
“So that is what you and mirror-man have been whispering about.” The stern voice makes her stop in her tracks.  
“Oh for the love of… I don’t need you to tell me how untrustworthy I am today Granny. I have other headaches to deal with.” Because after the wedding her two week long return to the throne has to go well too. She feels like the whole kingdom is staring, waiting for her to screw up. More importantly, part or her is waiting for her to screw up too. And she really doesn’t want to lose this second chance.  
While she is proud of her one week streak, she wasn’t naïve enough to even hope that this means she is free from the darkness. It’s a part of her for the rest of her life.  
So no, she is not in the mood to hear someone else confirm her own doubts.  
The old woman looks her up and down through her glasses and nods to herself.  
“Wasn’t going to say anything of the sort. You’ve gone above and beyond Queenie, I’ll give you that. Perhaps some faith is in order…” Before Regina can respond the old woman is walking away.  
Regina doesn’t know why the members of the war council feel the need to tell her when they decide to trust her. She has made it clear that she doesn’t care what they think.  
And there is no way she’ll ever admit to anyone that, as much that she insists it doesn’t, it brings her a small form of comfort to now that she earned another person’s trust.  
She shakes her head and presses onward to her chambers. Snow isn’t the only one in the castle who needs her beauty sleep.

Regina applauds with the rest of the audience as Snow and Charming share their first official kiss as husband and wife. It was truly a beautiful ceremony. Snow’s dress is gorgeous. She looks like a swan given human form. Charming looks very handsome in his red attire.  
The party goes with barely a hitch, other than a few drunken toasts from friends that get slightly awkward. Especially Grumpy who apparently is a sad drunk.  
His speech about how he and the other dwarves will always be there to defend Snow White and how she can’t forget about the people who were with her when she was a runaway princess now that she is a reigning queen, had brought Snow to tears and made her and Charming gently coax him down from the chair. After which he somehow made his way to his former enemy and told her that it wasn’t personal, but he feels protective over Snow. He assured her that he gave Charming attitude all the time. Snow’s father wasn’t around anymore after all, so he felt like it was his job to look out for the girl.  
Regina could’ve gone her whole life without knowing all of that and she’d be perfectly fine.  
She signaled the other dwarves to pick up their defacto leader and went back to watching the festivities from the sideline.  
The first dance is of course flawless. Snow and Charming look like their feet don’t even touch the ground. The next dance, traditionally with the father of the bride and mother of the groom is given to the blue fairy and Grumpy. Both are flustered and honored to be chosen to be stand-ins for such important figures in the pair’s lives. Grumpy tries and fails not to cry.  
The musicians start playing the next song and the pair comes over to greet her an her father.  
“Regina, normally I’d dance with David’s father now, but in his absence may I borrow yours?” she asks. Regina nods and her father stands and bows with a boyish grin.  
“It would be an honor your majesty,” he says modestly.  
“Please, just Snow is fine,” she assures him as they leave.  
Then David bows for her. “May I have this dance with the mother of the bride?” Regina pales.  
“I… I can’t dance,” she admits embarrassedly. Of all the things her mother taught her one would think dancing would have at least come up. Not that she’d needed it. Any ball she ever attended in the past, her husband spent more time with his daughter than his wife. And after her husband died no one dared to ask her out of fear of getting their heart torn out.  
She takes a deep breath. No use being upset about all of that now. It’s in the past.  
“Well then, now is as good a time as any to learn,” David smiles kindly. Now? Alright.  
She allows David to pull her up and place her hands in the right position.  
“Just follow my lead okay?” he instructs. She nods. Follow his lead. She can do that.  
After a few rounds she accidently steps on his toe, she looks up, ready to apologize.  
“It’s fine, these things happen.” This is when she remembers. Snow and Charming aren’t Rumple or her mother and she is no longer an Evil Queen. Mistakes aren’t punished, they are accepted and corrected. She relaxes and allows herself to just follow the music and Charming’s guidance.  
Before she knows it the dance is over and Charming kisses her hand and passes her on to her father for the next dance.  
When she takes a break a while later, she takes in all the guests.  
She can see Ariel and her prince, taking a break from their travels to attend her friend’s wedding. Ariel is taking it all in with childlike enthusiasm. She overheard them talking earlier, about possible destinations to travel to next. Eric admitted he should pass by Agrabah, but wasn’t sure if that was such a good idea considering Ariel’s background. She insisted they’d go.  
Speaking of the desert kingdom they apparently sent a delegate, who looks like he feels lonely and out of place. The boy’s hands are positively shaking. She considers talking to him, but decides against it. It isn’t really her business.  
She can see prince Thomas and his fiancé. A girl Snow was talking about over dinner when Regina just started on her new path. She and charming met her at the ball held in the prince’s honor. Ella she believes the girl’s name was. Her stepdaughter is very excited about her. A maid who, through hard work and a good heart, earned the chance to attend a royal ball and win the heart of a prince. Snow is completely enamored with this girl’s story and became fast friends with her. The pair is dancing the night away in blissful happiness. Their wedding is planned for the second week of next month.  
She scans the room further. Belle is here with her father and is talking with Princess Abigail and her now husband Frederik.  
Red and her grandmother are talking with Shaw about something, the dwarves are enjoying the food, a still wooden Pinocchio is dancing with his father with the cricket on his shoulder. And the fairies are looking at the gathered crowd with satisfied smiles.  
All that is missing is for princess Aurore and her prince to walk through the door. But Philip is still making his way through a perilous journey to his love’s sleeping form accompanied by a female warrior. They won’t join them any time soon. The boy can’t ever let people deal with their own problems and just get his girl it seems.  
Other than that though, happy endings all around it seems.  
And she is surprisingly alright with that.  
She grabs another glass of champagne and looks to the sky.  
“Cheers mother. Hopefully one day you can be at peace too,” she says softly before taking a sip.  
A tap on her shoulder pulls her back to the party.  
“May I have another dance with my daughter?” her father asks.  
“You? Always daddy.”

“Thanks again Regina,” Snow says sincerely as she holds her hands tightly. They are standing in the courtyard. Charming’s Horse Theseus, a white horse with gray spots and Snow’s Ariadne, a dark brown horse, are stomping impatiently at the ground. Ready for the journey to the summer palace.  
“Don’t worry about it. Go have fun,” she tells her suggestively, smirking as Snow’s cheeks flush.  
“You’ll never stop enjoying this will you?” she realizes.  
“Not if we live a million years,” she promises. Snow sighs.  
“Small price to pay I suppose,” she concedes with a smile.  
“You’re sure you’ll be alright visiting the Northwood village by yourself?” Charming verifies.  
“It’s not the first heart returning mission. The last two villages seemed prepared. And it’s not like I come out with black knights and everything. It’s the last village where I’m sure hearts were taken. I just… Feel like I have to go by myself on this one.” She can’t pinpoint it. Some kind of proof to herself that she doesn’t need anyone supervising her to make her do the right thing. Sure the Charming’s had accompanied her in the past to protect her from possible vengeful people, not the other way around, but that doesn’t change the fact that she feels like she relies on them too much.  
“Alright. See you in two weeks,” Snow waves as they ride off together.  
Regina waves them off and lets out an incredulous chuckle. The Charmings worried for her safety. And she is happy to see them go and have a relaxing vacation. How the world has changed.  
That is, if they can bring themselves to relax. She wouldn’t put it past them to go on a life threatening adventure before the week is over.  
She turns to make her way back into the palace. The next two weeks don’t hold much for her to do. No one really plans royal visits to a kingdom the first weeks after a royal wedding has taken place. It’s considered rude.  
So all Regina has to do is make sure the kingdom doesn’t burn down, keep an eye on incoming information and visit the village to return the hearts her mother had taken there years ago.  
Both her and her mother’s collection of hearts have shrunk dramatically.  
After her visit to the Northern woods she’ll be able to fit them all in one vault.  
Sure ,she isn’t done by a long shot, but it feels nice to see the progress in such a way. And she’ll enjoy destroying her mother’s vault once it’s empty.  
It has been a whole process to figure out where the hearts belonged.  
Neither she or her mother had kept a list. So she had to dig through her memory for her own victims and rely on the stories told by the people for her mother’s.  
She was a bit disturbed when she found out that the woman had actually put dates on the boxes. Even if it was helpful when it came to figuring out which hearts came from the same place it is still a very cold and calculated thing to do.  
This village however is the last location she managed to pinpoint. After that she and the Charmings will have to start researching all over again and hope that word has gotten out that the queen is returning stolen hearts. Maybe some people will come and get their hearts or those of loved ones. It is a daunting task. There are some hearts from before she was even born and she shudders to think what it does to someone to live without one for so long.  
Regina shakes that thought off. There are other things to do. As she goes down her list again she remembers something else. Right. One of the kitchen staff has left them to care for her mother earlier this month and she has to find a replacement, something the Charming’s meant to do, but planning a wedding apparently tends to push everything else away.  
“Excuse me…” Regina turns back to the gate. There stands a fair-haired woman, about Snow’s age she would guess.  
“You just missed the King and Queen. Can I help you?” she asks hesitantly as she approaches her.  
She can feel a chill coming from her and she isn’t sure if she trusts it.  
“I’m dreadfully sorry. I’ve been traveling the land and I’m looking for a place to settle down…”  
Regina nods slowly, indicating the woman should continue.  
“I have no living family left an no home to return to.” Regina smiles in sympathy. That wasn’t a fate she wished on anyone… At least not anymore. Still something feels wrong…  
Is she being paranoid?  
“Would it be possible to maybe live here? I’ll work for my stay of course. Anything at all.”  
Regina sighs. She should give the woman the benefit of the doubt and keep an eye on her.  
Snow will never let her hear the end of it if she turns away someone looking for a home.  
“As it happens we are down one cook. Come inside I’ll introduce you to our chef,” she tells the woman as she gestures for her to follow. “I’m sorry what was your name again?” she asks as they walk inside.  
The woman smiles. “Ingrid.”  
“Regina.” She’s definitely going to keep an eye on her. She seems too… Too nice.  
“It is unfortunate that I’ve missed their highnesses. I hope they’ll enjoy their honeymoon,” Ingrid muses.  
“I’m sure they will. Knowing them they’ll manage to get pregnant right away. This just might be their final getaway in a long time,” Regina jokes trying to push away her suspicions.  
“A royal baby… Wouldn’t that be something.” Ingrid sighs happily, allowing herself a knowing smirk behind Regina’s back as her ice blue magic flickers to life in her eyes.

“Alright enough!!!” she shouts as she freezes the entire panicking village. Maybe that isn’t exactly the nicest thing to do, but it is needed to calm everyone down. Part of the reason she wanted to do this alone is to do it her way. She never agreed to become a Charming, she is trying to become a better her. Which means no kid gloves.  
“Of course the one time I go without the Charmings everyone freaks out. Listen I’m here to return the hearts my mother took from here about twenty years ago,” she explains. She then unfreezes a young girl, maybe 12 who’s mother stood in front of her, shielding her and her younger brother from the queen.  
She bends down a little and smiles at the girl to look less threatening.  
“Do you know which of these people are missing their hearts?” she asks as kindly as she can without feeling like she sounds patronizing.  
The girl hesitates a moment, but then she points towards a man with a pick axe.  
Clearly he was ready to attack her. His expression cool and calculated, only the faintest flicker of anger behind his eyes, as is often the case with those who live without their heart.  
“Charming man,” she sighs as she delicately plucks a hair from his jacket and enchants it to lead to his box. A small golden trail follows the hair and lands on it’s destination.  
“Perfect.” She takes out the heart, walks back and jams it back in the man’s chest.  
“Alright, I’m about to unfreeze you. Don’t attack me or I’ll freeze you back until I’m gone,” she warns before undoing the spell. The man falls into his next step before he lets his ax down slowly and feels at his chest in astonishment.  
“What do you think sir? Are your fellow villagers going to be able to stand in line and wait for me to put their heart in?” she asks. The man nods, still overwhelmed at the sensation of having his heart back. She releases her spell. Everyone relaxes their rigid poses, some struggling to regain their balance or staggering under their own momentum. Once everyone gathers their barings a dozen townspeople walk forward waiting for their heart to be returned. She leads the first in line to the cart and lays her hand on the empty spot where his heart should be, one of the boxes lights up and she takes it. “This might sting a little,” she tells him before following trough. “There. Next?”

Regina is frowning at the reports of ogre sightings. The knights are waiting for orders to attack. Problem is, strictly speaking the ogres still remain within the boundaries of their agreed upon territory. It’s understandable that villagers that live closer to those edges don’t like hearing them walk so close to the border. Still, one advantage of having been the bad guy means she can see things from the other side. The ogres aren’t doing anything wrong yet. Any attack from their side will only start another war. And wouldn’t that be a lovely wedding present for the Charmings?  
Satisfied with her reasoning she gives the messenger boy a few scrolls with instructions to only engage if the ogres left their territory and to avoid violence if possible for now.  
No sooner did she see his horse disappear into the forest or she can see the Charmings returning from their Honeymoon.  
She lets out a relieved sigh. Not that being queen was too daunting a task.  
She just wants to go back to her new normal of studying magic and finding ways to use it to fix her past mistakes. That and she hadn’t been too convinced that the pair wouldn’t find a way to get themselves killed while away. She gathers her skirt in her hands and hurries down.  
“Welcome back!” she greets them as they arrive in the courtyard.  
“Thank you Regina,” Snow smiles brightly. Very brightly, Regina realizes. The way a woman smiles when she holds a precious secret.  
Her eyes are glistening, there is a healthy flush on her skin. In fact she’s glowing…  
“Oh, my,” Regina breaths as she takes another good look at the young queen.  
Oh, there’s no doubt.  
“Blue!” she calls, knowing full well that the little blue firefly has been hanging around the castle all day to see the couple arrive.  
“You didn’t have to shout,” the fairy replies a bit flustered at being caught in her impatience.  
“Well?” Regina insists impatiently. Blue makes a waving motion and her face lights up.  
“May the Gods have mercy on you both,” Regina sighs at this confirmation of her suspicion.  
“What? What’s going on?” David asks urgently.  
“No,” Snow breaths incredulously as her hands fall to her stomach.  
“Yes,” Regina replies. Allowing a small smile, even if it still stings. She should’ve put money on it. That way she at least would’ve gotten something out of this.  
“A hundred times yes! Congratulations!” Blue cheers.  
“Charming we’re having a baby!” Snow exclaims excitedly. David’s looks at his wife, slowly letting her words sink in.  
“I’m to be a father?” he mutters, not quite believing it yet.  
“Are you telling him now or are you waiting until it’s time to pick names?” Regina asks, remembering that the man is still unaware that his first born is to be a princess.  
“Oh, I kind of want to leave him in suspense…” Snow says slowly, a teasing glint in her eyes.  
“But I also can’t wait.” She bites her lip, torn.  
Charming let out a soft laugh and took hold of his wife’s shoulders.  
“I’ll get it out of you later, but first things first. Regina…” he starts, looking at his step-mother-in-law .  
“Oh, right,” Snow exclaims eagerly.  
“What?” Now it’s Regina’s turn to be on edge.  
“So when we arrived at the summer castle,” Snow explains.  
“I recalled an old story about a monster nearby. And we both thought we could slay one more beast together before retiring from being heroes and starting a family. It was close. I know!!!”  
Snow assures her before Regina can go of in a rant about their reckless behavior. One she’ll still hear later, because it was literally Regina’s first thought after they left her sight and she’d been telling herself that she should give the pair more credit ever since. Apparently not, since she thought they’d at least make it past the first night.  
“And that’s when we started talking. We are to start a family, but we know that we’ll never be able to turn away if a dangerous situation arises. And while a fairy godmother will guard over our child’s happy ending… Oh and Blue… Would you?” Blue nods firmly. “I would be honored.”  
“Thank you,” Snow smiles before returning to Regina.  
“Anyway. We want someone to look after our child when we are not there, or if we, for whatever reason, pass away before we can fully raise them…” Snow trails off. The very thought of not being there for her child saddening her.  
“Regina,” David continues, as he wraps one arm around his wife’s shoulder to comfort her.  
“We decided that it would be in our child’s best interest to have you be part of their life as their godmother. Would you accept that? To help raise them and protect them as tough they were your own?” Regina is speechless. She looks between the two.  
They are serious. And she gets it. Snow wants to give Regina a piece of parenthood. Even if she can’t ever be a complete mother. She sighs. It’s a really nice gesture, but she doubts it’ll be the magical ointment for the hole in her heart Snow seems to think it is.  
“Sure, I’d be honored,” she says anyway. Because, as she has learned, with these kind of gestures it is the thought that counts. And this particular thought is very kind indeed.  
Allowing the evil queen to be part of their child’s life, if nothing else, was a final sign of trust.  
If there was still any doubt in Regina’s mind on where she stands in this family, it is now erased.  
Snow squeals and tackles her stepmother in a hug.  
“Oh, I can’t wait for us all to meet our little princess!” she sighs happily. And Regina chuckles as she sees David’s eyes widen.  
“Can’t even keep your own secrets huh?” she chastises the younger queen.  
Snow shoots up with wide eyes and turns to her husband.  
“Your mother said you wanted a son and you looked so excited about it…” she starts to explain, but then charming breaks out in a wide grin. His eyes spark with joy as he picks up his wife and twirls her around. “A princess!” he shouts in joy before putting Snow down.  
“I don’t care,” he assures his wife. “Yes it was a boyhood dream to have a family similar to my parents, but what does a boy know? A daughter!” The awe in his voice brings tears to Snows eyes. She’s so relieved he didn’t mind. “I can’t wait to meet her too,” he vows before kissing his wife in jubilation. Prompting the godmother to be to retire to her chambers.

Nine months pas in a hurry and bring many changes and surprises.  
To Regina’s relief the Charmings and many of their generation of new rulers are in agreement on her plan to not strike the first blow against the ogres if it can be helped.  
They even asked her if it was possible to install a safety measure that won’t harm the ogres, but will put the farmers at ease. Belle is the biggest enthusiast of this idea and volunteered to postpone her next journey to help Regina with research on the subject.  
Then Ariel and her Prince reported that during their journey to Agrabah the city had vanished. All traces of the sorcerer responsible had disappeared as well, as did the Princess who might’ve been able to aid in finding the city. It was agreed that search for the princess takes priority since she is most likely able to tell them what happened and how to reverse it.  
Then there is of course the most recent royal wedding between Thomas and Ella. Regina met the fairy godmother responsible for giving the girl’s happiness a little extra help. A nice enough fairy if she was honest, though it mostly served to remind her of her own fairy godmother who tried to help her. For some reason however she hasn’t dared to bring up Tinkerbell’s fate with Blue or any of the other fairies she has talked to since her turn around.  
To her own frustration she made little progress with the hearts in her vault since she’d crossed of the Northern woods village. Only a handful of people have come to retrieve their hearts on their own accord. What if some victim’s had died? She knows that crushing a heart kills the owner, but does killing the owner crush the heart? They are enchanted objects in their own right once taken after all.  
She isn’t ready to ask Rumplestilskin about it. Or to ask Belle if she has a book on the subject.  
On a happier note. Amazing news arrived not three weeks after Ella and Thomas’ wedding.  
Gepetto had walked in the council room, not with a living doll but a real life, seven year old boy. Snow and Charming immediately arranged a small party in celebration. Everyone wanted to take a look at the boy and Blue and Gepetto were beaming with pride.  
So aside from being a decent peacekeeper, getting better at dealing with other people getting happy endings and feeling guilty over some of her unresolved evil deeds, nothing big was going on.  
Except for a pregnant step-daughter of course.  
Ingrid, the new kitchen help, was eager to establish herself and fussed over Snow’s cravings which was a relief to all involved. Charming barely left his wife’s side to ensure that she is comfortable and doted over. On top of that both Ariel and Ella joined in the pregnancy fun, so Snow had a little support-group.  
Regina on her part is trying to do her duty as godmother by ensuring that Snow doesn’t experience unnecessary stress. Like the gift from king George she is looking at right now.  
“He’s got to be kidding?” Regina exclaims as she looks at the doll and, more importantly the accompanying note.  
“What’s the matter Queenie?” Grumpy, who is helping her sort through the gifts and letters with well wishes for the Charmings, wonders.  
“Charming’s less than charming father,” she replies as she hands him the note.  
“Dear Snow. You cannot belief my happy surprise when I heard you were expecting.”  
Regina isn’t sure how much Grumpy knows of Snow’s dealings with the king, but from the looks of it he at least knows that the man does not wish the pair anything good. Of course him teaming up with her to defeat the Charmings might’ve clued him in on that as well.  
“I look forward to meeting my first grandchild…” Grumpy looks up at Regina with worry.  
Regina grabs the letter and sets it on fire, along with the doll. It was a pretty blond doll, with a withe dress that had George’s family crest embodied on it. Sure Charming took it as his own, but she is sure it was meant as some sinister reminder.  
“Snow doesn’t need this on her plate. I’ll make sure George knows that this is my family he’s messing with now. He’ll think twice,” she assures Grumpy. The dwarf nods.  
“Shouldn’t we at least alert Charming though? So he’ll know to take precautions.”  
Regina takes his words in and considers the pros and cons of telling David.  
“I think he already expects George to make a return. Do you think he needs to know there is a concrete threat?” she asks, not sure what the best course of actions is. Grumpy too, considers her words for a moment. “I suppose we don’t need to give them more reasons to worry than they already have. They deserve to enjoy the pregnancy.” He sighs and shakes his head.  
“This king George is really getting on my nerves,” he grumbles.  
Regina nods her agreement. “He’s a king without a kingdom. I don’t think he has much left to his name. Which actually worries me more. He has nothing left to lose.”  
Grumpy shudders at the thought. “Best we make sure the guards are on alert when the baby is here though. Just in case anyone makes an attempt at kidnapping,” he suggests.  
Regina chuckles darkly. “I pity the fool who tries,” she tells the dwarf who smirks as well.  
Even if you don’t count the former evil queen, the young princess will be born into a family with a wide variety of skilled fighters and magic users at their side. Taking her might not be impossible, but keeping her away is a lost cause.

Spring and summer come and go. Before anyone knows it, fall arrives and the people of the Enchanted Forest keep looking up at the sky. For when the new royal baby is born, magic fireworks will announce her arrival. They would start from the castle and set in motion a chain reaction throughout the land. Red for a princess, blue for a prince. Because only the parents, the Blue fairy and the child’s godmother were in on the secret.  
There is however another secret that only the parents are privy to.  
“Come on! I’m supposed to be godmother, how am I not allowed to know the name?” Regina pries one late October night. She and Snow are in the younger queen’s bedroom hanging up Cinderella’s unicorn mobile above the crib. Snow has just decided she wants the baby to sleep in her and Charming’s room for the first few months. Regina knows that it’s so they can check in on her the second they wake up. Even though she tried not to bother them with empty threats from a certain vengeful king, they are not stupid.  
“Because it’s a surprise!” Snow smirks stroking her stomach before picking up the last unicorn and attaching it to the mobile Regina is levitating on an easy to reach height.  
Regina huffs as she uses her magic to hang the mobile on the ceiling.  
Her curiosity finally won out over her determination not to get swept up by the excitement.  
She feared that if she allowed herself that, if she got too into it, she’ll get attached. And if she gets attached then it will hurt when the baby doesn’t like her. As she shouldn’t. Her bad tendencies are few and far between nowadays, but there were still bad days.  
Regina hadn’t wanted to kill anyone since before the wedding to be honest, but she still occasionally imagined doing some pretty terrible things.  
Her latest bad idea was that, with all this trust she’d gained, she could snatch the baby when she was born and raise her as her own. Teaching her to hate her birthparents and sending her to fight them when she is old enough.  
There are plenty of reasons not to do that though. For one, it sounds like a plan her mother could’ve come up with and the last thing she wants to do is whatever that woman would approve off.  
Then there is the fact that she doesn’t hate Snow that much anymore, even if the pain sometimes returns so sharply that she just wants to see that perfect life of hers fall apart.  
On good moments, she thinks of Snow like a friend.  
On top of that she now knows it isn’t right to do something like that.  
And if it isn’t right, it doesn’t end well. She made so much progress. Ten more hearts have been returned since king George’s present had arrived. It is slow, but as long as there is progress she has hope that one day she will find that there are no more crimes to rectify.  
None of hers and none of her mother.  
“Oh, thank you Ingrid you are a saint!” Snow tells the woman as she sees her walk in with two cups of hot chocolate and two bowls of a desert the woman was very loved for. Ice cream.  
“I added a little left over cookie dough to this batch, tell me if you like it,” Ingrid instructs as she puts the tray down. It looks really good.  
“Ingrid, you do know that only one of us is eating for two right?” Regina objects. Ever since Ingrid arrived Regina had to choose between resisting the deserts, or going out on extra-long rides with Storm.  
Needless to say, she and Storm now know the surrounding area almost better than the woodsman. She even has taken to riding Snow’s horse regularly to make sure she gets her exercise as well. It took some time, but Ariadne now follows her lead almost as well as she would follow Snow’s. Regina can tell the mare misses her owner though.  
The Charmings manage to earn the loyalty of everyone and everything they come in contact with.  
Ingrid laughs good naturedly. “Regina, winter will be here before you know it. We all can use a few extra pounds when the cold sets in right?” she argues. The woman has a point. She always says the sweetest and wisest things… Still, Regina can’t shake the feeling that she has to be warry of her.  
“Regina if you don’t want yours, I’ll take it,” Snow offers after she tries a bite of the new recipe, which prompts Regina to have a taste herself. Alright it was pretty good.  
“About the name though…” Regina presses again. Snow shakes her head.  
“Be patient. You’ll find out when this little one comes out to taste Ingrids delicious ice cream,” she giggles before she takes a sip of the hot choclate, her favorite craving. She won’t drink it if it doesn’t have cinnamon though. Regina doesn’t understand it, she prefers hers dark, without any fancy flavoring.  
“I feel like this one’s going to come out any…” Snow falls silent.  
“Is it time?” Regina asks.  
Ingrid gasps. “Oh my. Should I go find the king?” she wonders uncertain.  
_‘Not the time for sarcasm Regina,’_ she reminds herself. “Yes!” she commands, urging the woman to run off. Of all times for Charming to have left his wife’s side for a council meeting.  
Regina helps Snow to her bed, she isn’t going to risk moving her even an inch more than absolutely necessary.  
“It’s going to be okay, you hear me?” she tells her as Snow starts to groan in pain.  
Seconds later David and Doc rush in.  
David holds Snow close in support and speaks soft words of encouragement to her through the whole delivery. Regina does what she can to elevate Snow’s pain with her magic. Sadly, healing spells have never been her line of expertise. She can only improvise and she is too afraid to mess something up to be very creative.  
The delivery takes a few hours and when the baby’s cries fill the room, Regina helps Doc wrap her in the blanket made just for her. Regina holds her in her arms, ready to hand he to her parents.  
As she walks over, she looks down on the little face and for a moment the baby makes an attempt at opening her eyes, she only manages enough for Regina to see her blue irises.  
And for a split second Regina sees pure innocence and feels something in her heart stir.  
Recovering from the overwhelming sensation, she notices that there is a name on the blanket. She smiles. Snow did tell her she will know when the baby is here.  
“Hey Emma,” she greets. She looks up at the Charmings with a smile.  
“Ready to meet your daughter?” she asks as she bows down to pass her on. Snow takes her daughter in her arms and Charming stares in awe at his two girls. It’s a picture perfect family. And right now, there’s nothing in the world to disturb them.  
Charming kisses Snow’s hair and strokes Emma’s cheek.  
“She’s perfect,” he states with a devotion one would expect from a religious man when speaking of his god.  
“Our little star,” Snow breathes, the strain of childbirth almost invisible behind the glow of motherhood. Regina stands in the doorway and looks at the picture with a smile.  
Doc is already gone to tell the guard in charge of the fireworks what to do. Regina can hear them go off in the air. Word will soon spread over the realm. The Princess has arrived. Tomorrow the people will gather to hear her name announced. And they would celebrate trough out the land.  
Regina is right of course. When the fireworks blossom in red flowers in the early evening sky, farmers and noblemen alike know that a Princess has come into the world.  
In the castle’s darkest dungeon, the dark one smirks as he hears the fireworks go off.  
“She’s here,” he whispers.  
The sound of the fireworks carries on in the wind all the way to King Stefan’s castle where a prince and a female warrior just arrived to fulfill their mission and deliver true loves kiss to the sleeping Aurora. They look up and see a red light flicker on the horizon.  
“Looks like we’ll have some catching up to do when Aurora is awake Mulan,” he tells his companion.  
The woman nods as she looks at the horizon, sending a prayer to her ancestors to send the new princess her well wishes.  
Deep in Sherwood forest a band of Merry men is talking quietly around a fire, trying not to wake the infant sleeping in his father’s tent. The father in question, a grieving widower, looks up as the silence is disturbed by a loud boom. He and his men smile as they see the bright colors painting the sky and they raise their drinks in a toast. “To the princess, may she bring justice to all!”  
In richly decorated cave near a now abandoned village, hidden away from prying eyes, another baby is crying for her mother, but as the fireworks crackle through the air it falls silent.  
“A princess?” the mother smiles as she picks up her infant to feed her. “How quaint,” she coos, stroking the star shaped mark on her child’s wrist.  
Little Grace Jefferson cheers and raises a teacup to the sky. “Happy birthday Princess!” she giggles and her father happily joins in.  
A set of twins and their father see the sparks on their way back to their cabin and shout out their well wishes to the sky.  
In the harbor of a village not too far from the castle, a pirate ship just made port. The captain and his crew look up when fireworks seem to set off an explosion of celebration in the town. The captain, quickly putting together what’s going on, smirks and raises his trusty flask to the castle that lights up under the blooming lights.  
“To happy times, Princess,” he toasts before taking a drink and joining his men and the town in celebrations.

[Excitement](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/50615168#workskin)


	5. He's alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting used to having a baby in the house, doesn't go off without a hitch. Luckily this is a home filled with love and the little princess is protected and adored by all. Things get tense however when people from Regina's past return. Turns out the past doesn't like to be ignored.

**Princess Emma**

**I Long live Regina**

**V He's alive**

David wakes up in the middle of the night, not sure what exactly disturbed his sleep.  
He looks to his side and sees his wife is still sleeping peacefully. He smiles at the sight and slowly gets out of bed. He walks over to the foot end where the crib of their baby stands. Crystal unicorns twinkle in the moonlight above her sleeping form. He leans against the post at his side of the bed as he stares in awe at their little miracle.  
She is one month old and yet she holds his world in her little fist.  
Both he and Snow are a little sleep deprived, as is normal for new parents he heard.  
Attending Aurora and Philip’s wedding was an interesting affair. As the first among their generation to have a child they got quite a lot of attention during the party.  
Snow and Aurora swapped stories about their experiences with the sleeping curse.  
Philip’s friend Mulan had been interested in the conversation as well. Though she seemed disappointed there wasn’t a dragon waiting at the castle at the end of their journey.  
Everyone wanted to meet Emma of course and the little princess seemed fine with all the attention, though she fell asleep before they got to dessert.  
Cinderella announced the birth of her and Thomas’ baby, Alexandra, a few days ago.  
Snow was delighted to have a friend for their daughter right away. They are exchanging tips with their fellow new parents and planning play dates. Soon they will be joined by Ariel and Eric and their child. Snow had loaned them her pendant, making sure not to look while they found out if theirs would be the third princess or the first prince to be born in the allied kingdoms.  
Emma moves in her crib and David sighs contently. He gently adjusts her blanket.  
“You are so beautiful,” he whispers to his daughter.  
“Charming?” his wife’s tired voice calls from the bed.  
“Go back to sleep my love. I’m just checking in on Emma,” he assures her.  
“According to Granny, she won’t sleep through the night for another two months at least,” she argues. “She’ll wake us up to check on her herself.”  
Charming chuckles, she was right of course. He tries to find the words for this overwhelming feeling of love and protectiveness over this defenseless angel. The living proof of their love.  
Surely she must feel it too.  
Emma, however, chooses that moment to wake up and ask for her midnight snack.  
He immediately picks her up and starts soothing her.  
“She’ll end up spoiled if we keep this up,” Snow sighs as she gets ready to feed her.  
It’s true that they haven’t strayed far from her side the past month. Perhaps it’s because they know they got so close to being separated from her. Or maybe it’s normal for first time parents to dote over their child.  
Fact is that even if they had war council meetings, Emma is held by either Snow or David.  
Regina warned them that they can’t hold her forever. And they know she is right, but that doesn’t make letting her go any easier. Luckily the short, interrupted nights, have made it necessary for them to put her down and take a nap any chance they got.  
Still, at night Charming will usually wake up at random moments and spend a couple of minutes looking at his daughter, assuring himself that she is safe.  
“We still have time to get used to letting go,” he assures her before handing her their hungry daughter. As she drinks he strokes her blond curls.  
“I love that she looks like both of us,” Snow whispers. Charming hums in agreement.  
His blond hair with her curls frame their Princess’ face.  
Her eyes, though they started out blue, are changing and look like they’ll end up green like Snow’s. Their shape, however, remind him of his mother.  
He gently strokes her soft cheek. “I will fight a hundred dragons, break a thousand curses for you. Anyone who tries to harm you, anyone who dares to steal you away, will regret it.  
No one gets to take you away from me. I don’t care who they are. You’re my little girl. No one gets to have you.” Snow snorts as her husband’s focus shifts from hypothetical villains to hypothetical suitors very fast. “Bit demanding for a shepherd aren’t you?”  
They laugh and jest, but both are enamored by their happy ending. It isn’t just each other.  
Their happy ending is their daughter, the amazing adventure of raising her. And they will see to it that she will never have to worry about anything.  
Emma finishes eating and is put back in her crib. Charming an Snow go to bed as well.  
The next morning both are woken up by Emma’s cries. She needs to be changed. It’s Charming’s turn so Snow gets to enjoy a relaxing bath. Once finished, David entertains his daughter by tickling her stomach as he makes silly faces at her. Emma makes happy gurgling sounds and shows of her brand new smile in response.  
Snow comes back from her bath and watches her husband. Both are exhausted, but somehow they never tire of playing with Emma. Every new thing fills them with pride and joy.  
“Snow! Charming!” It’s Grumpy who bursts their happy bubble. Both parents look up in concern. “Emergency council meeting,” the dwarf tells them and they follow suit. Both assuming the other is bringing Emma. Both being mistaken.  
Emma waits for a few minutes after her father’s face disappears. He does that sometimes, but he always returns to make funny noises again. Or maybe her mother will appear next.  
After a while though she starts to become restless. It isn’t time for a nap yet, so where are they?  
She can’t hear their voices either. She’s all alone.  
She starts crying for someone to come and get her.  
It’s Regina who hears the sound and comes to see what’s wrong.  
She is surprised to find the room empty. The Charmings never let Emma out of their sight. And yet here she is. Alone and upset. The former villainess isn’t sure what to do at first. She hasn’t really held Emma since she was born.  
Again, the Charmings are practically glued to their daughter. They haven’t let any of their friends hold her either so far. No one feels insulted. Widow Lucas assured everyone that she was just as territorial over her daughter, back in the day. And over Red too for that matter.  
Right now Emma is upset though and they did make her godmother…  
She makes a decision right then and there. Not only is there nothing wrong with checking in on her. It’s her duty to soothe her. Or at least try.  
So she walks over to the crib, takes a deep breath and carefully lifts her in her arms, almost positive that she’ll be shunned the moment she lays a hand on her.  
As a precaution she tries her best to soothe her while she picks her up.  
“Hey Emma. Remember me? Don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you,” she promises.  
And to her amazement the little princess steadily calms down and looks up at her with curious eyes. She is almost positive that she’s just imagining it, but she could swear that the baby is trying to tell her that she believes her.  
Regina smiles, a true, genuine smile. And for the first time, she truly wants to be good.  
Not because she is tired of being evil. Not because she wants to stop hating the woman she sees in the mirror. But so that Emma will never stop looking at her with this innocent trust in her eyes. She wants to be part of this family that brings her the joy she feels when holding this baby.  
Regina finds herself smiling brightly and cooing at the little darling.  
“Look at you. Who is the fairest in the land? It’s you. The kingdom will adore you.” She can sense it, there is something special about Emma. Unsurprising, she was conceived by true love on the honeymoon. Those things tend to come with great gifts or destinies.  
“You will be so amazing Emma. And I’ll make sure no one ever hurts you. Don’t you worry.  
Not to mention all the allies Snow and her prince have made. Not one of them will allow for you to ever shed a tear.” She knows in her heart that those promises are impossible to keep, but in that moment she whole heartedly wants to shield Emma from anything that can ever lure her to the darkness.  
In the doorframe Snow and Charming are watching in awe. They realized their mistake and hurried back, which led to them seeing the whole exchange, from the moment Regina bent down to pick Emma up. They stare in awe at the queen, looking more at peace than she has in ages.  
Finally Charming gets a glimpse of the woman his wife remembers from her childhood.  
“You don’t think I’m all that scary do you?” Regina wonders aloud. A small undertone of pain sneaks in her voice as she realizes that one day Emma will find out about all the horrible things she’d done. It’s unavoidable. “I really hope it’ll stay that way,” she whispers as she puts her back in her crib. “Don’t worry. Your parents will come for you soon,” she assures her as she gives the mobile a little push so it twirls around and breaks the light in pretty colors for Emma to look at.  
David and Snow hide behind the door as she leaves for the library to continue working on the spell to shield the humans from the ogres, humming a lullaby as she went.  
Snow calls on a maid to keep an eye on Emma. Perhaps it’s time they started leaving her alone every once in a while, and go to the library.  
“Regina?” Snow asks as they enter.  
“Yes?” she replies making a note on a scroll.  
“How is your progress?” she queries casually.  
“There are plenty of barrier spells, but I can’t seem to find one that will guarantee no ogres come through even on accident. Even if there is a guarantee that they don’t want to hurt anyone, the people might panic and attack…” She rubs her temples. It was a tricky balance to maintain and she couldn’t just mash a couple of barrier spells together, the more complex she made the shield the more likely it was that there would be cracks.  
The best she could find so far was one to only let the pure of heart pass. Which was fine she supposes, but those are usually pretty harsh in their judgement. So if she goes with that she’ll have to tweak it so it would just act as a wall and not as a repellant, all that without affecting the barrier’s strength. The dilemma is giving her a headache. Maybe she needs a real break.  
“What are you two doing here?” She asks the couple as she marks the spell that’s most promising.  
“Well if you’re okay with stepping away from this, there is an emergency war council meeting. A spy, suspected to be allied with King George was spotted. We have yet to capture them, but we need to decide on how to respond to this possible threat,” Snow tells her formally.  
Regina looks up in surprise. The only time she’s been to a council so far, was to catch everyone up with her actions during the honeymoon.  
“Are you sure?” she verifies. She can just imagine Grumpy’s face as she walks in the room.  
Snow nods firmly. “Yeah, if the other’s aren’t ready for it then they’ll have to get used to it. You’re family.” Regina looks between the Charmings and the papers before slamming the book shut.  
This can wait a little longer.  
And maybe she can ask Blue for some ideas on the matter, get a fresh point of view.  
“Alright,” she agreed as she got up. “Let’s see what the fuss is about then.”

* * *

Time passes like a whirlwind. Emma keeps growing and learning new things.  
With Blue’s help they set up a magical barrier that would separate the ogres and the humans forever without it being harmful to the Ogres or limiting travel for the humans. There is a small passage in the wall where those with peaceful intentions could get through. It was necessary since there were some rare plants with magical properties on the ogre side after all, too small for any ogre to pass through.  
Regina now has only three dozen hearts in her vault left. Sadly she’s learned that it was in fact possible for a heart to remain after the body has perished. She has found ten hearts belonging to people who will never get them back so far. She has put them in a separate corner until she can decide what to do with them.  
This means that there are still twenty six hearts that might find their way back to the one they were taken from. Ten of those are taken by her. The others are victims of her mother all from her early evil days, her oldest dating back years before the second oldest.  
Apparently even her mother took some time becoming truly evil.  
Emma is now six months old. She just started sleeping trough the nights, which is a huge relief for both the Charmings and anyone who lives with them.  
Emma has also discovered laughter and it’s her favorite sound to make. Much to the delight of everyone around her.  
Ariel and Eric introduced Melody to the royal play group, and Aurore and Philip are expecting as well as Abigail and Frederic.  
Pinocchio likes entertaining Emma with made up stories, which he was assured wasn’t lying, whenever Gepeto visits the palace and the Charmings have gotten into the habit of inviting the man over for dinner every once in a while if only to give the two children an excuse to play together.  
Regina holds Emma more often now and the girl loves looking at her magic.  
Overall Regina would have to say that life was peaceful at the palace.  
She was even starting to prepare to move back to her castle. She needs her own space.  
Her father is coming with her as is one of her enchanted mirrors Amin could use for travel and Amin himself of course. He was fine being part of her court now that he was no longer a prisoner. Another magic mirror was left in Snow’s castle, just in case they needed him or if they needed to talk to her. He’d also moved a couple of items from the outside world, such as a bed and the like, inside the world behind the mirror to set up a more comfortable living arrangement.  
So he had made a home and found a place in this new kingdom as well.  
In less good news, they still haven’t caught the spy and the threat of king George lays in the back of everyone’s mind. Regina suggested to postpone moving out until after that had been dealt with.  
Snow insisted however, that it wasn’t necessary, she was just one mirror away after all. They felt ready. Whatever comes they’ll face it head on and keep this family safe.  
Regina is thinking about all this while brushing Storm after a ride, when she feels a tap on her shoulder. She turns around and her eyes widen in astonishment.  
“Victor?” she asks dumbfounded.  
“I need your help,” the scientist from the land without color pleads nervously.  
“How did you even get here?” she demands as she puts away her gear. She can just use magic, but she prefers having something productive to do with her hands while talking to someone. Especially if that someone is a direct link to her old self. One she really doesn’t want to think about a day before the anniversary of Daniel’s death.  
“It turns out that my world has it’s own means of transportation to other realms, but never mind that…” Regina turns around again and really looks at him this time.  
“You’ve barely aged… How? It’s been almost sixteen years,” she gasps puzzled.  
“Time discrepancies between worlds. It’s been less than a year for me. But I’ve made progress…”  
Regina looks the man up and down. Victor looks slightly disheveled. She wonders when he last had a proper night’s sleep.  
“I need a heart Regina, for my research,” he explains. Regina’s eyes widen and then she sighs and shakes her head. “Don’t do it Victor. Some things aren’t meant to be tampered with.”  
“You didn’t think that last time!” he shouts desperately. Regina takes a step back at his brashness. It’s weird, the way he speaks in sudden bursts. As if he is barely containing himself.  
“I’ve learned a lot in that time Victor. By example, that you can’t use the hearts of others to get what you want,” she explains herself.  
“Regina please! I know about the vault remember? They are just lying there, while they could be used for science!” he insists again, sounding more desperate with each passing moment.  
Regina shakes her head, starting to understand the situation.  
“You aren’t doing this for science. Who is it?” she asks. Victor hesitates.  
“My brother,” he finally admits.  
Regina nods in understanding. “Leave him be at peace Victor,” she advises.  
“Have you left your Daniel at peace?” he counters defensively. Regina is about to reply but then realizes she hadn’t. A mistake she is going to rectify right now. It just might help Victor do the same.  
“You have a point,” she allows and with a wave of her hand, Storm is saddled again. The horse throws his head back in annoyance, but one stern look from Regina calms him down.  
She smiles and waves her hand again, an apple appears, which is soon devoured by the stallion.  
She waves her hand one more time and her father’s horse, Darling, is saddled.  
“Do you ride?” she asked the doctor nods nervously.  
“She’s gentle, get on,” she encourages him as she mounts her own horse.  
Together they ride the short distance to her family’s old crypt where she keeps both Daniel and the remaining hearts.  
“You won’t regret this Regina,” Victor assures her as they make their way down.  
Regina keeps silent. She is too nervous to correct him in his assumptions.  
Once they arrive Victor studies the preserved body of her true love with fascination. Muttering things she didn’t care for.  
“Hello Daniel,” she greets softly.  
“It’s been a while. I’ve, forgiven Snow… Wow, that’s the first time I said that out loud. But I did.  
I think I’m finally able to make the best of the cards I’ve been dealt.  
And get this, I’m godmother to her child. Me!” she laughs at how unreal it still feels.  
“You would’ve liked Emma. I know we never talked about children, but I know you would’ve been a good father.” Victor frowns as he listens to her monologue. Not sure where this is going.  
“I hope you’re in a better place… Hope, she really is getting to me. Anyway, my old friend Victor reminded me of something. To truly move on, I have to let go.” She takes a deep breath and waves her hand, breaking her preservation spell.  
“What are you doing?” Victor cries.  
“Letting go,” she responds, a tear rolling down her cheek, after which she teleports them both back to their horses.  
She waves again and they’re all back in the stables. She stroked Storm to calm them both down.  
She needed the ride there to prepare herself, but now she needs to be back among people as soon as possible before she can change her mind.  
“Why would you do that!?” Victor screams in despair.  
“Daniel deserves better than to be an experiment, or a statue from the past. What I was doing was for my benefit, not his.” She takes a deep calming breath. It hurt to let him go, but it also felt good. Healthy. She knew she did the right thing. Daniel deserves peace.  
“But the hearts!” he insists.  
“There’s barely any left. And the ones that are still there are going back to the people they were taken from in the first place!” she insists. Then she takes a calming breath. Shouting isn’t going to help anyone.  
“Go home Victor, do something good with your life. Be a man your brother can be proud of,” she advises before leaving Victor in the stables and going back to the Palace.  
At the dinner table she chooses to focus on watching her father dote over Emma and the Charmings laugh at his antics. And she smiles, happy her father gets to experience being a grandfather after all. Gepetto and his boy are visiting again. Pinocchio competing with her father for Emma’s attention.  
As Regina finishes her meal a cricket lands on her shoulder.  
“I did it,” she tells him softly, because she has to tell someone and jiminy is the only one who knows about Daniel. He followed her once, on the anniversary of Daniel’s death and has been nagging her ever since. Jiminy chirps his approval and pride in her strength.  
She rolls her eyes, but smiles none the less. Jiminy returns to his young ward. Soon it’s time for everyone to retire for the night.

* * *

The next morning brings an exhausted Snow White and Charming to the breakfast table.  
“Working on a little brother already?” Regina teases. Snow doesn’t even respond.  
“She’s teething,” David replies in her stead. Henry looks at the man with sympathy and then at the sleeping Emma. “Finally wore herself out did she?” he observes.  
“Is this going to last long?” Snow pleads with the more experienced man.  
“Regina was very loud about her teeth coming out, but I belief we had something that could soothe the pain…”  
“I think I saw what you mean in one of mother’s older spell books. I moved them to my vault. I can get it and see if I can make Emma that miracle pain-soother,” Regina suggests.  
“After I’ve made sure nothing about it is harmful to her of course. You never know with mother,” she corrects herself. Better not make promises she couldn’t keep.  
“Regina would you?” You’d be our hero!” Snow exclaims. Regina nods and smiles in reassurance. She really hopes the potion her dad was talking about works.  
“In the meantime keep her distracted when you can,” her father starts to list off all kinds of things that apparently had entertained her during that part of her development. Oh well. After all the teasing she’d sent Snow’s way, she was overdue for some embarrassing childhood moments.  
She teleports herself to her vault. Her eyes close, giving her a moment to take a breath.  
“Get the book and get out,” she reminds herself. She opens her eyes and freezes. The door is forced open. She rushes downstairs and feels all color leave her face. Daniel is gone, one of the drawers in the far back corner is open and empty and next to the now empty table lies a figure on his stomach. She knows who it is. She rushes to his side and turns Victor around.  
“Victor? What happened? What did you do?” she asks as she shakes him awake.  
“I, I did it. To prove to you… so you’d help,” Victor explains trough pained grunts.  
“He… Is he?” she is scared of the answer.  
“Alive… Yes, but he’s not… He’s not Daniel… He’s not human,” he tries to explain.  
Regina feels tears run down her face. She feared as much.  
“Alright,” she whispers as she helps him up. She transports them outside and looks around.  
In the soft ground she can see footprints following the hoof prints they’d left yesterday.  
Nodding to herself she took them both back to the dining room of Snow’s palace.  
“Regina? Who is that?” David asks confused.  
“Victor Frankenstein. He’s from a different realm. He wants to find a way to resurrect the dead,” Regina explains as she hands the scientist to the king.  
“Resurect… But how?”  
“Not very well it seems. He came for my help. When I refused he took what he needed and tried to revife someone as a demonstration of his progress… I only found out this morning” Regina tells him.  
“And they did this to him? Where are they now? Mary, bring this man to Doc please,” he asks one of the maids who takes Victor away.  
“Regina… Who did he revive?” her father asks worried.  
“Daniel…” she whispers. “I think he’s heading for the stables, following his last memory,” she explains quickly. Not wanting to get into the whole thing now. David pales.  
“What?” she asks, her heart filling with dread.  
“Snow and Emma, they went to the stables!” He tells her urgently as he takes off.  
Regina feels her whole world crash down around her.  
She transports herself to the stables. To her horror she can hear Snow White screaming.  
“Snow!!!” She could hear David shout far behind her. He would never make it in time. She takes a breath and transports herself away.

* * *

After Regina left for the vault Emma had started to stir again and Snow announced that she would try distracting her by introducing her to their horses until Regina got back. She made her way to the stables and showed Emma, who was sitting up by herself now, around.  
“Look Emma, this is Theseus. He’s daddy’s horse. He helped your dad find your mom when she ate the bad apple. He’s very fast and very loyal. He won’t let anyone but your daddy ride him. And look,” she continues to the next horse. “This is Ariadne. She’s my horse. She’s pretty isn’t she?” Emma’s hazel eyes stare curiously at the horse as she sucks her thumb to soothe herself. She reaches out a hand. “You want to feel her? Okay honey.” Snow holds Emma’s outstretched hand and guides it over Ariadne’s nose before stepping back again.  
“Ariadne is very smart and gentle,” she tells Emma gently, hoping that the calm rhythm of her voice will be enough to occupy her daughter’s thoughts until Regina comes back with something against the pain. For now it seems that Emma is doing fine. But both she and Charming would prefer it if she goes back to sleeping through the night.  
Suddenly Ariadne throws up her head in distress. Snow frowns confused. That’s very unlike her. Seconds later the other horses become restless too.  
A grunting sound behind her makes Snow turn around. She freezes and pulls her daughter closer. That was impossible, he can’t be here!  
“Daniel?” she breaths. But the creature doesn’t respond. He just stumbles forward with wild unfocused eyes. Emma turns in her mother’s arms towards the sound and catches sight of the figure. She coos and reaches out a hand to greet the stranger, used to meeting new people as she was.  
The sudden movement seems to spook Daniel and he lets out a roar as he charges at the both of them. Snow grabs a pitchfork that stands at the side and knocks him aside screaming in terror, hoping someone hears.  
Daniel isn’t disoriented for long and runs after her. She runs to the stable doors, if she can manage to close them on him, maybe she can find help. The horses are trashing and neighing.  
“Snow!” she hears her husband call. He’s on his way. He’ll find them. And then Regina is beside her.  
“Get out,” she tells her. But Snow freezes.  
“You don’t have to-” but she is cut off by Regina using her magic to transport her away.  
Regina sighs as she looks back at the figure that just wasn’t her Daniel. He looked confused at the disappearance of Snow.  
“Daniel?” she tries. If nothing else, she wants to have this one last moment with him to say goodbye. He frowns and blinks. “It’s me, Regina…” she breathes incredulously.  
“Regina?” he whispers, and his eyes focus again and he’s back.  
“Oh, Daniel. I missed you so much,” she tells him in a hurry.  
“I don’t belong here,” he tells her. Sounding frightened.  
“I know. This wasn’t my idea. But I’m alright Daniel. Me and Snow made amends. I’m… I’m fine.”  
Daniel blinked and shook his head. “You have to stop me… And love again,” he told her. It’s her turn to blink in confusion. “Promise me Regina, Promise me that you’ll open your heart again.”  
She doesn’t know how she could ever do that. She wasted that chance years ago hadn’t she?  
“I promise,” she vows with a tear rolling down her cheek.  
“I love you,” Daniel whispers before his eyes lost focus again and he lunged at her. But before he could do anything her hand had snatched the stolen heart from his chest and crushed it, causing Daniel to fall to the ground, motionless.  
Regina drops to her knees and starts crying silent tears, holding the dust of Daniel’s second heart to her chest.  
“Regina?!” Both Charmings call out as they arrive. “Oh, no,” Snow gasps, shielding her daughter from the dead body.  
“Regina, I’m sorry you had to do that,” David whispers.  
“I’m not,” she told him. “I got to talk to him for a moment. But after that moment he could’ve hurt Emma, and I can’t risk that. And if anyone had to kill him a second time, I’m glad it was me.” She gets up and walks over to the couple, pausing in the doorway.  
“Could, could you have someone pick him up so we can lay him to rest?” she asks.  
“Of course.” Snow assures her as she hands Emma over. Regina hugs the little girl close.  
She is worth it.

* * *

The funeral is attended by the entire court.  
Her father holds her as she ignores the stares and whispers. She doesn’t care whether they see recent events as proof of her loyalty or a first step back into the darkness. She knows that she’ll never be completely good. And she didn’t care. If it keeps the ones she loves safe, she will go as far as she has to. She’ll never be a slave to the darkness again. She will walk the line between the two. In the twilight of morality. And she can live with that.  
“Regina?” it’s Snow who alerts her that it is time to lay down roses on the coffin.  
She accepts her rose an puts it down. “Goodbye Daniel, I’ll keep my promise.”

* * *

Time passes and slowly things went back to normal. Or, not normal. It turns out that everyone is now convinced that as long as Emma drew breath, Regina would be on their side.  
Her love for the girl is no longer doubted by anyone. And in turn her growing friendship with the Charmings is no longer questioned. Though Grumpy still keeps an eye out for a possible relapse, which was fine by her.  
Snow White was uneasy around Regina for a while. And when she tries to tell her stepdaughter that she won’t become the evil queen again, Snow makes it clear that she never doubted her. She just doesn’t know how to face her now that she was, once again, to blame for Daniel’s fate.  
“Victor reanimated him against my wish and all I did to him was kick him back to his realm. I won’t hate you for being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” she assures her.  
She also put a spell on Victor so she’d know if he ever returned and waited until he stepped through his portal just in case. She will not allow the man to use the lost loved ones of the citizens of this realm as guinea pigs.  
She tells Snow that she has no fault in the events. If she hadn’t been at the stables, Regina still would’ve had to end Daniel’s suffering. It might’ve been harder even, if she hadn’t gotten a clear reminder of why it was important to do so by seeing Snow and Emma’s lives being threatened.  
Snow starts crying in relief, the thought had been eating away at her, and she hugged Regina.  
“It’s fine Snow,” Regina tells her as she brings her back to an arm length distance.  
“I’m actually glad I got to give him a proper funeral,” she confesses. It’s true. She never got this kind of closure the first time she lost him.  
Snow thins about that for a moment and nods in understanding. The two queens smile at each other, knowing that the fragile friendship they had built over the past year was just tested in the most extreme possible way and it had passed.  
Their moment is interrupted by Emma, who’s been rolling around on her blanket on the floor until now and just decided she is hungry.  
“The crown princess requires a meal,” Regina jokes, and they both laugh.  
After 20 years Regina can finally move forward.

[Painful memories](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/50151815)


	6. VI Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmares plague the young parents, and the black clad figure statring in them worries them greatly. Can they discover what danger looms over their daughter's head? And more importantly: Can they find a way to protect her?

**Princess Emma**

**I Long live Regina**

**VI Fate**

David and Snow White sit in a meadow, enjoying a beautiful day and watching their daughter sit on her blanket between them, studying her hands, seemingly fascinated by the way they move.  
David laughs as Emma puts one of her hands in her mouth and makes a face as she felt her fingers get wet.  
“I love this. I love you,” he tells his wife as he gives her a kiss.  
“And I love… Emma?” he calls out as he sees the blanket is empty. The pair shoots up and looks around frantically. There at the other end of the meadow stands a woman they have never seen before with their baby in her arms. Emma’s white dress contrasts strongly against the woman’s dark clothes and wings. David draws his sword and Snow readies her bow.  
“Give our daughter back!” he commands. The woman looks up at him and laughs as their daughter starts crying. “She’s mine now,” she tells them and she disappears.  
“Emma!” they shout.  
David shoots up from his nightmare joined by his wife. The look to the bed end and to their horror the crib is gone. “Wait, the nursery!” Snow remembers. They run to the next room and there she is. Sleeping soundly in her crib, right where they put it after her first birthday a week ago.  
Her room was full of new toys gifted to her at the party they’d thrown in celebration. The problem is the past three nights both royals were plagued by similar nightmares to tonight. Every time it was this black fairy who took their child and every time it was impossible for them to go back to sleep.  
“This isn’t just a nightmare anymore David. Something is going on,” Snow sighs as she sits down at the crib hoping to be able to fall asleep if she can see Emma the entire time.  
“I know…” David agrees as he joins her. They look at their daughter who sleeps, blissfully unaware of all the evils in the world. Stroking his wives hair, David sings both of them a song his parents sang to him when he was little.  
“[Lullay lullow, lullay lully](https://blueeyedennis-siempre.blogspot.com/2010/12/medieval-lullaby.html),  
Beway bewy, lullay lullow,  
Lullay lully,  
Baw me bairne, sleep softly now.  
I saw a sweet and seemly sight,  
A blissful burd, a blossom bright,  
That morning made and mirth among.  
Lullay lullow, lullay lully,  
Beway bewy, lullay lullow,  
Lullay lully,  
Baw me bairne, sleep softly now.  
A maiden mother, meek and mild,  
In cradle keep, a knavë child,  
That softly sleep; she sat and sang.  
Baw me bairne, sleep softly now.  
Lullay lullow, lullay lully,  
Beway bewy, lullay lullow,  
Lullay lully,  
Baw me bairne, sleep softly now.”  
He smiles as he sees that his wife did fall asleep to the tones of his singing. He notices that one of Emma’s hands is holding on to a bar of her crib. He gently lays one of his hands on hers and the other on her mother’s lap and allows sleep to take him once more.  
The next morning brings a bright and happy Emma and two deadly tired parents.  
“Look who came back from Atlantis?” Regina announces as she walks in the dining room shortly after breakfast, followed closely by Belle.  
“Na! Be!” Emma cries out in excitement.  
“Oh! Look at you. You’ve gotten so big!” Belle gushes as she picks Emma up from her mother’s lap, twirls her around and puts her back. Emma giggles and waves her arms excitedly the entire time.  
“One day you have to visit Melody’s grandfather’s kingdom with her Emma. It is beautiful and you’d be surprised at the library. I hadn’t expected so many books under water…” Belle rambles in excitement.  
“What is it now?” Regina asks as she takes in the tired eyes of both Charmings.  
Her father had already returned to her old castle and in theory she lived there now too, but she takes every excuse to drop by to see her goddaughter. It had been a few days since her last visit and the Charmings had looked decisively more awake back then.  
“I thought Emma was sleeping through the night now…” Belle frowns in confusion.  
“She is… It’s us that’s the problem,” Snow sighs.  
“The past three nights we’ve both had the same dreams…” Charming starts, unsure if either of the women in front of them can help. And do they need help? Are they worrying over nothing?  
No, Snow was right. Once is a coincidence but three times is a pattern.  
“Nightmares,” Snow corrects him  
“What kind of nightmares?” Regina asks, already on edge.  
“They start out nice. We’re out as a family, just the three of us. And then we notice Emma is missing. We look up and see a woman holding her. She’s dressed in black, has dark hair and eyes and black wings. A black fairy,” David tells them. Too tired and distracted by keeping his daughter from grabbing a knife from the table, to notice both women tense.  
“At first we thought it was about that old tale of the black fairy taking children from their cribs.” Snow continues, gently prying a strand of her hair from her daughter’s grip.  
“But we kept having the same dream at the same moment… That can’t be a coincidence. We worry it means something. Every time we wake up and check on Emma. And every time she’s perfectly fine. We see if the window is shut and the curtains are closed. But we can’t go back to bed.  
We can’t go on like this. If this repeats for a few more nights we won’t be able to lead the kingdom.” Snow hugs Emma close, trying to find comfort in the embrace. The little girl coos and babbles in response.  
Belle bites her lip, trying not to give away the thoughts that race through her mind. She isn’t sure after all. And she knows they would disapprove if she suggested what she was thinking.  
Regina is frowning worriedly. She doesn’t know much about fairy lore, but she had heard of the black fairy as well. She knows enough about darkness to belief she might be real.  
“Belle, you haven’t seen anything about a black fairy in one of your books by chance?” Snow pleads.  
Desperate for any clarity on the subject.  
“I haven’t really been studying dark creatures… But I’ll look. In fact I’ll get on it right after I check in with Rumple. He’ll be getting worried about me,” she tells them after which she hurries to the dungeons.  
Regina frowns as she watches the young woman disappear from sight. She wasn’t telling them everything. That much is clear.  
“You know, if you want to know about a black fairy, you might want to ask a fairy,” she suggests.  
“Of course! Why didn’t we think of that?” Snow exclaims relieved.  
“Because you are both exhausted, stressed and not thinking clearly,” Regina replies offhandedly.  
“Thank you Regina, would you mind holding onto Emma for a minute? I feel like she’s bound to start picking up on our mood and I don’t want her to get upset over it, she could use a fun morning with her godmother anyway.” Snow asks. Regina accepts her task as the two rush to the war council room to call upon the Blue fairy.  
Meanwhile Regina uses her mirror to gaze upon Rumpelstiltskin’s cell.  
In the dungeon, Rumpelstiltskin was slowly losing bits of his sanity every day that he had to wait for Belle’s next visit, so when he hears footsteps approach his cell he giggles with glee. Especially when he sees that it’s indeed the bookloving brunette who’s come to visit him.  
“Belle!” he exclaims excitedly. “You’re back! How was your trip?” he asks.  
“Amazing Rumple, but I’m afraid I’m here for something else…” Belle admits.  
“Oh, sounds serious,” Rumpelstiltskin whispers intrigued.  
“Where are the king and queen?” he asks. Belle sighs. “I’m not here to talk with you on their behalf Rumple,” she insists.  
“That may be the case. Still, this is not about you, is it? How is our little princess?” he asks.  
“She’s what? One year old now right?” Belle nods in confirmation.  
“I could hear the party from all the way down here. Didn’t get an invitation though. One year, twenty eight… They grow up so fast don’t they? One minute they barely walk, and then... Curses, battles, true love's kiss...” he rambles his thoughts jumping through time and timelines.  
“Yes… it’s about the Black fairy,” she tells him, keeping them on track.  
Rumple’s entire posture falls apart, his face loses all expression as he turns away from the bars.  
“What about her?” he asks, clearly not happy about the subject.  
“She appeared in the dreams of the king and queen for three nights now. Taking the princess away from them,” Belle explains.  
“Well, she’s not going to do that!” Rumple insists, back to his matter of fact, almost singsong way of talking. “If she takes the girl, the princess can’t become the savior and if she doesn’t become the savior, she won’t, play, her part,” he explains. Belle takes this in for a minute.  
“Every time we talk about the princess, you call her the savior. What does that mean?”  
she asks.  
“Well a savior has a great destiny. Fighting darkness, being a champion of light. And in this savior’s case, bringing back happy endings to those who’ve lost them. No one knows yet, but soon she’ll bring back a happy ending for the first time and she’s barely learning to talk,” Rumple rattles off. Quite in a chatty mood since it was Belle he was talking to.  
“And in your original plan, would she…” Rumple nods.  
“If the curse was cast, she would be sent away. But in time find her way back to her people, return all happy endings the curse stole from them.”  
Regina frowns. So all that trouble to cast the curse, only to ensure that it would be broken… Rumple makes less sense to her every time she sees him.  
“So you wanted the curse to be cast. But you also wanted it to be broken?” Belle clarifies.  
“Yes!” Rumple giggles. “But it’s not important anymore. She’ll bring me my happy ending too you see? I did enough. I made sure the savior was born and she will do as she was meant to do!” Rumple giggles excitedly. “And what is that?” Belle asks.  
“That’s a surprise dearie,” he grins.  
“But what about the dreams? Sharing the same dream three nights in a row has to mean something.”  
Regina nods her approval. Back on track.  
“Well, all I can say is that when it comes to the powers of darkness, the black fairy is older than me dearie. Though the dark one legacy spans almost a thousand years I took the mantle decades after the Black fairy first appeared if you remember… Anyway, since I’m in here, and she’s out there, whatever gave them that dream most likely chose the black fairy as a symbol,” Rumple theorizes.  
“So it’s darkness that takes the princess,” Belle whispers.  
Rumpelstiltskin nodded. “That’s the fate of a savior. They save and save and save. Bringing light to everyone in their lives. Except themselves,” he tells her.  
“No. I refuse to belief that this is her fate! There has to be something we can do,” Belle insists.  
“Alas, not that I know of. And I know almost everything there is to know about magic. The princess will grow up to become a great, beloved hero. Like her dear parents. Except as a savior, happy endings aren’t always guaranteed. Duty over desire and those kind of things. It’s not that great a job is it?” he replies, sounding almost dismissive.  
Regina holds Emma closer. It can’t be true. She refuses to accept that.  
“Rumple please! The princess is such a sweet child! She can’t be fated to be taken by darkness!” Belle insists.  
“Sorry dear,” Rumple replies softly. Actually sounding like he regrets the cruel fate that looms over the young girl's head.  
“It’s not your fault. No matter what, Snow and Charming are true love right? They were fated to meet and fall in love…” Belle sighs.  
“Indeed. And the princess was always fated to be born a savior. Who knows how fate would have twisted and turned. But Snow and Charming’s firstborn daughter being the savior, was pretty much etched in stone. From the moment they crossed paths, there was no way to prevent the course of events that would lead to the birth of the little ray of sunshine you, dearie, have come to… Be fond of…” he sighs regretfully.  
“Maybe it’s not as definitive though…" he continues, much gentler. almost sounding like a normal man.  
"I hope, she surprises all of us. After all, not all saviors are charged with guarding over happy endings,” he speculates comfortingly.  
“Thank you Rumple. So what’s your price?” Belle asks. Rumple looks up in surprise.  
“Are you saying this one was on the house?” she teases.  
Rumple smiles and thinks for a moment. “There’s one thing…” he whispers slowly.  
“There’s an old vanity in my castle, you’ve probably seen it. On the vanity is a pot with a cream… It’ll take the king and queen quite a few years to agree to let me out, I would like to have as much time with you as I can get once that happens. If you use that cream once every year, you won’t age. It should buy us at least ten years,” he told her. She nods in understanding.  
“Okay, I’ll do that,” she agrees. “Thank you.”  
Belle smiles and shrugs. “It’s a big world. This way I’ll have ten more years to explore it,” she smirks.  
“I’m going to tell the Charmings what you told me… Oh and Rumple?” she hesitates for a moment.  
“Yes Belle?”  
“Thank you, for not asking her name,” she says sincerely.  
“Well, I made you a promise after all,” he shrugs.  
Belle smiles and leaves.  
Regina uses her magic to bring the girl to her side once she’s out of the dark one’s sight.  
“Wha… Regina?” Belle gasps disoriented.  
“If you don’t want me to keep an eye on you then don’t act suspicious,” Regina advices.  
“Come, I want to compare notes with the Charmings.” Before the Lady can say anything else in protest to her eavesdropping she is already making her way to the council room. There she finds the Charmings seemingly staring down a reluctant Blue Fairy.  
“So, what has she told you?” Regina asks.  
“The black fairy won’t come for Emma,” Snow says slowly.  
“But she’s refusing to tell us why we’re having these nightmares,” David finishes with an angry glare at the fairy. Regina raises her eyebrows in surprise.  
“Really? They have a right to know!” she insists.  
Blue’s eyes shot up in surprise. “Knowing won’t change a thing!” she insists.  
“Of course it will!” Regina scoffs.  
“Know what? Regina did you discover something?” Snow pleads.  
Regina nods and hands Emma back to her mother. Charming wraps his arms around his family readying himself for whatever news Regina brought.  
“Belle here figured the dark one would know some things about her. Unsurprisingly he did. She’s been around about as long as him.” Both Belle and Blue kept their faces neutral, not wanting to give away how accurate that statement was.  
“Apparently the Black Fairy is supposed to be a symbol for darkness. The dreams allude to Emma’s fate as something called a savior. And that fate, while it includes her being a powerful champion of good and protector of happy endings, it might also mean that she’ll be facing a final battle against darkness, one most saviors tend to lose.”  
Snow and David pale as they both look at Emma, unable to imagine her facing any kind of danger.  
“What can we do?” Snow whispers in horror.  
“Nothing,” Blue whispers regretfully. “Severing a savior from their fate doesn’t end well. I’ve spent the last few centuries regretting not being able to protect the last savior from that. And I have tried to find some way to protect her, I truly have,” Blue pleads.  
“But!” Regina interjects before the Charmings can truly despair. “From the way Rumple talked it sounded like most saviors face their challenges alone. It won’t be like that for Emma,” Regina assures them. “All that’s left to do for us, is make sure that she knows this. To ensure that whatever she faces she won’t ever be without allies.” To demonstrate her point she put one hand forward.  
“I will ensure that Emma has my magic at her side,” she vows.  
“And mine!” Blue jumps in, laying her hand on top of Regina’s, hopeful that the former evil queen was right.  
“I will make sure that whatever she faces she’ll go into battle with all the knowledge she could need,” Belle chimes in, feeling hopeful that Rumple’s soothing words might bare more truth than even he realized.  
“No matter what Emma faces in the future she’ll have my sword at her side,” David agrees putting his hand on the pile.  
“And my bow,” Snow smiles through her tears of relief as she joins her hand with the others.  
Emma giggles and imitates the gesture causing everyone to laugh.

[The humor in hindsight](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/50845651)


	7. VII First Happy ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When David's worst nightmare becomes reality, he, Snow and Regina, along with their family get the chance to put an end to one of their old foes and show the realm what becomes of those who target their family.

**Princess Emma**

**I Long live Regina**

**VII First Happy Ending**

After the pact is made everyone goes back to a somewhat normal routine.  
Regina continues living at what the people are calling ‘the enchanted castle’, but visits ‘the Charming palace’ at least once a week and keeps close contact on all other days via mirror.  
Meanwhile Emma bravely struggles through her steps and babbles happily to anyone who will listen.  
Snow feels somewhat relieved knowing that Emma won’t be snatched away by the Black Fairy and that she has what many other saviors appear to lack, a supportive family, to get her trough any battle that may come her way.  
Charming however worries about the many enemies he and Snow made over the years and them coming for their happiness. He doubts Maleficent has forgotten about the time he battled her and planted a bottle in her stomach. There is also king George, Bopeep and many, many others.  
Not to mention that if his daughter has this destiny of bringing happy endings, who was to say that villains they’d never met wouldn’t try to use her to force one to happen for them?  
These worries make their way into his dreams. Each time he wakes up and goes to check on Emma in the nursery. Each time nothing is wrong. Snow barely wakes from his sudden departures anymore and is always soundly asleep when he returns to her side.  
This night goes much the same, yet completely different.  
He checks in on Emma before retiring for the night, like always. And like always his dream starts off pleasant.  
He walks into the nursery to find it flooding with sunlight, and in the middle of the brightly lit room he sees his daughter, eight years old, twirling around in a beautiful light blue dress. Her blond hair shining in the sunlight streaming through the open balcony door.  
He takes a moment to just look at her, a smile on his face. Then he blinks and the sunlight is gone. King George is standing on the balcony dragging a crying Emma with him.  
“Daddy! Daddy wake up! Don’t let him take me! Daddy Please!” she begs, struggling against his hold.  
“Daddy wake up! I don’t want to go!” she cries desperately.  
And he wakes up and rushes to the nursery, grabbing his sword on the way. He’s sure he’ll find her sleeping and that he’ll once again laugh at his own ridiculousness.  
But no. To his horror he sees a hooded figure holding his little girl against his chest and readying himself to rappel down the wall.  
Emma is struggling to get away from the stranger who’d woken her up, but the man has tied her securely against his chest with a cloth.  
The blood that had drained from David’s face upon seeing his nightmare come true rushes back with his anger. “Hold it right there!” David shouts. The thief looks up. Even in the dark David can see the shocked look on his face. The thief didn’t expect the king to wake up.  
“That is my daughter. If you value your life, you will give her back. Now!” he commands.  
The thief’s face goes from shock to regret. “I’m sorry. It’s not my life I’m concerned with.”  
The sincerity in this apology takes David by surprise.  
And then the thief is gone.  
“Wake up! Everyone wake up! The princess has been kidnapped! Ready the horses!” David calls out. He rushes to the mirror, knocking on the glass frantically. “Amin!” he calls.  
“Your majesty? What’s going on?” replies Amin’s tired face.  
“Emma has been taken. Alert Regina!” he orders. Amin’s eyes widen and his fatigue disappears.  
“At your service my king!” he vows and disappears.  
David rushes outside, immediately joined by his distraught wife. By the time they get to the stables a furious Regina appears next to them and gets them all in proper riding clothes. Not out of a sense for fashion, but because they can’t lose time simply because their clothes are making horseback riding harder than it needs to be.  
They mount their horses and give chase through the woods, soon leaving their troops far behind them. Red has already caught the sent and is leading them in the right direction. Once the thief is in sight she and Shaw fall back so she can turn back to normal.  
“Snow, Charming. When I give the signal you stop. I’ll transport Emma to your arms and get this low life,” Regina instructs. She manages to catch up to the thief and ride next to him. She gets Emma to her mother’s arms and then gets both her and the thief from their horses and into a clearing just a bit off the path.  
She pushes him against a tree with her magic and looks him in the eyes. Her dark brown pierce into his ice blue. The disorientation and confusion on his face make way for realization and then terror.  
He’s right to be afraid.  
“Aren’t you unlucky?” she purrs dangerously, feeling old traces of her darker times slipping to the surface. The part of her that would toy with her prey before striking a blow. She’s stalling her decision on what to do to the man. But now, not to torment him or to find the worst possible punishment. No now she is giving herself time to calm down.  
“I spent a few months riding down every possible path in these woods with both my horse and Snow White’s. There’s no route you could’ve taken that I don’t know by heart. You never stood a chance.” She wants him to know that his foolish actions had been just that. Foolish, and possibly suicidal.  
She studies her prey for a moment. He is handsome she supposes, and to his credit he isn’t pleading for his life. In fact he seems resigned to his fate and willing to undergo it with his head held high.  
“What made you think you’d get away with this?” she wonders.  
“You thought: The Evil Queen is on a leash so it is okay to steal from her? I’ll have you know that the girl you took is my goddaughter! Explain yourself before I give in to old habits and rip your heart out!” In her anger she tightens her hold, making the thief gasp for breath. She feels no pity.  
“Regina! You’ve got him!” David exclaims as he and Snow catch up to them. He doesn’t mind the situation his daughter’s kidnapper finds himself in. Snow, however, worries for Regina.  
“Regina put him down so he can talk,” she tells her stepmother calmly.  
“Does she have to?” David is not eager to listen to reason. He is in fact ready to run the thief trough with his sword if given the excuse.  
“Yes, she’s come too far to return to the darkness. And I know who that is. It’s Robin Hood.”  
Everyone is surprised by that.  
“I thought he was an honorable thief. Are you sure?” David asks astonished.  
“Our wanted posters occasionally ended up next to each other. I’m sure,” she tells him confidently.  
“I get that we fall among the rich, but are we treating our subjects so badly that we deserve to have our only daughter stolen?” David is furious as he directs his question to the outlaw.  
They had been nothing but fair during the two years they ruled the kingdom. The people were prospering and enjoying the peace that followed Regina’s redemption.  
“I don’t care!” Regina dismisses the whole discussion.  
“Even if you two were on the level of me and the dark one, Emma is innocent!” she seethes, inches away from snapping the man’s neck.  
“Let him go!” comes a voice from the surrounding bushes.  
“You have no idea what’s at stake. The princess will be returned as soon as possible.” Little John and the other Merry Men appear, they all have an arrow pointed at Regina.  
Seconds later though Ruby and the knights that’d joined in the chase arrived. Readying their weapons to attack the Merry Men. Waiting for an order. It was a standoff.  
Regina squeezes her hold, making the man gasp once more. She could end all of their miserable lives in an instant. It would be so easy.  
But then a soft, distraught cry from behind her reminds her why she can’t go around killing people.  
“Gina!” Emma’s approximation of her name echoes through the woods.  
She can’t allow darkness anywhere near Emma’s light. Not even her own. She’d made a promise.  
She releases her grip and everyone lowers their weapons.  
Pure hate fills her eyes when she looks at Robin. And she thought she once hated Snow. This better have a good reason or she would find a way to make them pay.  
Robin manages to stay upright, but can’t help gasping for air. Once he catches his breath though the courage and sense of pride he held onto while being held captive seems to vanish.  
“They are right,” he breathes. Surprising Regina.  
“No matter the reason. The child is an innocent. I was desperate, but that is no excuse.”  
“Robin!” Little John exclaims shocked.  
“It’s true!” he counters his right hand man. “A man of honor would have swallowed his pride and asked for help,” Robin insists.  
With that declaration, he gets down on his knees and with a hand on his chest, bows his head.  
His Merry Men follow his example without hesitation. It’s an impressive show of loyalty, that much Regina has to admit.  
“My king, my queens,” he starts in a respectful tone.  
“I humbly ask you for forgiveness, and your aid. My son is in grave danger.”  
Regina feels almost all rage leave her at that revelation. A son… Sure it was no excuse to endanger Emma, but she knew that when it comes to children, people can do unspeakable things.  
“Three years ago, I led a mission that went awry. My wife Marian was taken prisoner by the black soldiers while we were away.” Regina looked down in shame, hating that she didn’t even remember the woman.  
“I blame myself, I should have looked after her,” Robin assures her for some reason.  
“Marian was brave and stubborn. She was sentenced to death. But she hadn’t given anyone her name to keep us safe. I knew I couldn’t risk our newborn son to be caught in the crossfire should an attempt to rescue her go wrong,” he explains further, deep regret filling his voice.  
“I had hope of saving her during a prison transport when I heard that King George had exchanged her for information on your whereabouts queen Snow White.” David froze. It couldn’t be coincidence that he’d dreamt of that very man tonight.  
“But she’d been too well guarded. He killed my wife himself, knowing who she was.  
He executed her because I had robbed one of his gold transports a few weeks earlier.” The anger and guilt in his voice struck a chord with Regina. She’d felt the same mix of feelings for years.  
“After you defeated his armies he allied himself with the Sheriff of Nottingham. They assembled a little army and worked together to rebuild his riches on the backs of the struggling people on the outskirts of the kingdoms. Who lived too far away from capitals to be protected by their king’s crown. A few weeks ago I planned a big heist. It would’ve been a blow to George’s treasury and a great relief for these struggling people. He was counting on it though. Not only did we barely escape the ambush that was waiting on us, some of his men had retraced our tracks to our camp, surprised friar Tuck and grabbed Roland before we got back.” Robin pauses as he gathers his barings. Reliving the worst day of his life is hard on him.  
“All he left behind was a letter with an ultimatum. His granddaughter for my son. I don’t know why he wants her and I wasn’t planning on finding out.” Robin looks up with fire in his eyes.  
“I swear to you, I never planned on letting him keep the princess. I wanted to exchange my son and steal her back. I found a guard who is tired of the king’s dishonorable behavior and will help me.” David has a feeling he knows which knight was willing to return his daughter home.  
“What I don’t get is how this operation went this wrong. I’m glad it did, but I know your reputation. You’re usually more careful than this. How did you not account for Charming’s midnight visits?” Snow wonders.  
“I did. I’d learned from my mistakes and didn’t allow my emotions to risk the mission.  
We have been surveying the castle for weeks. There were no weak spots in your staff we could exploit and the fact that king James has a habit of waking up on odd hours formed a problem.  
So I snuck in with a disguise and put a potion in your wine that should’ve made you both sleep until the morning. By that time we hoped to already be on our way back at the very least. I didn’t want to worry you any longer than I had to. But I knew I couldn’t leave anything behind that might lead back to me, so I didn’t dare leave a note,” he finishes. He then looks at David with a puzzled expression.  
“I still don’t get how you woke up. I know you drank the sedative.” Robin frowns in confusion.  
David looks at his daughter, recalling his dream. Had she somehow woken him up?  
“Though if I’m honest, even if it had all gone according to plan…” Robin casts a sheepish grin at Regina. “We should’ve been prepared for your magic. We thought…”  
“That the Charmings would restrict it? They haven’t been doing that in over two years. My good behavior is not because I was powerless to spread destruction, it’s because I want to better myself. For those I care about.” Her gaze drifts to the princess, which tells Robin all he needs to know. And he finds it quite endearing. Who knew the evil queen had a soft spot for children? He’d noticed her fury got less intense as soon as he mentioned he had a son.  
“Actually,” he corrects her. “We thought you were at your castle and wouldn’t be present.”  
Regina blushes a little as she realizes she was too quick to jump to a defensive position.  
“Sorry to hear about your wife,” she says in a slightly softer voice. She did know something about losing one’s true love.  
“And the king will pay for endangering any child,” she vows. She really hopes Snow won’t be overly noble when it comes to that man.  
Robin shakes his head. “Marian was a kind and giving woman. She would’ve been furious with me for going against my code and allowing a personal vendetta to guide my actions. I’ve led my men into a dangerous situation. Not to mention Roland.” His voice breaks slightly on his son’s name.  
“Bad actions do have a tendency to haunt us. I am waiting in fear every day for my sins to come for me,” Regina admits, though she’s not sure why. Something about this honorable thief intrigues her. She feels like he understands her better than most. Though he clearly hasn’t gone down a truly dark path yet, she can tell that losing his wife weighed heavy on him. Just like Daniel’s death has haunted her for so long.  
“So… Let’s show king George what happens when you mess with the enchanted forest shall we?”  
she suggests with a slightly amused grin on her face.

* * *

King George and the sheriff had taken residence in an old, nearly forgotten stronghold on the edge of the kingdom. Which was surprisingly easy to take when you have a furious, formerly evil, queen leading the charge.  
Red returned to the castle with Emma while the Merry men, the knights of the kingdom, Snow, David and Regina take care of the former king.  
In a single hour they subdue all guards and arrive in the throne room.  
“Give the boy back and surrender your crown for good!” Regina bellows. David and Snow agreed to let her make the demands. They all had to acknowledge that anything would sound better coming from a woman holding a fireball.  
The sheriff, who to Regina’s surprise turns out to be the man her mother had tried to parade as her true love, drops his sword, ghostly pale when he realizes who he’s up against.  
Robin keeps an arrow ready, pointing it at his old foe’s chest just in case.  
The king, meanwhile, looks on in astonishment and then draws his sword.  
“I demand an honorable death! Fight me!” he bellows pointing the sword to Charming.  
“With pleasure,” David agrees, drawing his own. “Just so you know, after today I’m taking my old name back. I’m sick of being your son.” The battle is short. Charming disarms the king in the blink of an eye. George falls to his knees, waiting for a final blow that won’t come.  
“Cuff him and take him home. There’s a nice dungeon where I won’t ever have to see his face again.”  
The old, bitter king screams in protest. “Coward! Can’t even finish me off like a man!”  
David scoffs at the man’s words. “Killing you would be easy, but it would also be giving into darkness. And I vowed to never let darkness taint my daughter’s life,” David clarifies. Then he points the sword at the old man’s throat.  
“But answer me this. Why? Are you so bitter that you can’t allow me my happiness? Or is there some other reason you took my daughter?” The man laughs, it’s an empty sound.  
“I need an heir. The boy or my granddaughter would suit my needs. Though the girl would have the added bonus of causing you the agony I feel every day.”  
David’s face shows nothing but disgust. “She’s not your anything,” he reminds him. But he is comforted by the reasoning. George is just a delusional, grieving man who clings to broken pieces of what he once had and destroys himself in the process. He isn’t after his daughter for her destiny. Word hasn’t spread outside the walls of his home. He signals his knights to take him away.  
“Papa!” Everyone turns to the door in the back of the throne room where a knight with scars on his face just let in the little four year old.  
“Roland!” Robin exclaims in relief as he hugs his son close. Regina can’t help but smile at the touching sight.  
“Sir Williams,” David greets, happy to see the one member of king George’s court who had ever gained his respect.  
“I assume you are the one who was willing to spare my daughter,” he guesses. Sir Williams nods.  
“I can respect your decision to stay true to your pledge until the very end… but considering recent developments, can I assume that you have broken your ties with George?”  
Sir Williams nods slowly, frowning in mild confusion.  
“How would you like to return as captain of the guard of our kingdom. We’ve done a merger since George was defeated, but I have faith that you will adapt quickly and that your men will be happy to have you back.” he proposes, casually sheeting his sword.  
“Prince James!” the knight protests.  
“King David actually,” Charming corrects.  
“Prince James died an honorable death trying to do right by his kingdom. He was denied this honor for too long.” He might not know much about his brother, but he knew that he had the love and respect of his knights. He doesn’t want to raise his daughter under a borrowed name, with a borrowed past. What kind of example would that be?  
The knight bows in respect, accepting his duty.  
It’s clear to everyone that David has made up his mind.

* * *

The king’s treasury got collected and taken to the charming palace to be sorted out and redistributed to the people that had been targeted by him and the sheriff.  
King George did get thrown in prison and sir Williams was made captain of the guard in David’s stead. His men had no problem pledging their allegiance to him.  
The sheriff is sentenced to communal work. Something David and Robin thought would do his character some good.  
The moment they return home, David sends word to all their allies of his true name and heritage and expresses his wish to no longer be chained by this and his hopes that they are willing to accept him as David as readily as they had accepted him as James.  
The replies were immediate and whole heartedly accepting.  
A royal announcement follows and spreads through the kingdom. Though it stirs up some gossip, the people seem rather happy that their king comes from humble beginnings. Unusual unions were more the norm among nobility than the exception these days.  
David decides to throw a feast in celebration of the princess’ safe return home and his return as king David. Snow is in full support of this idea. It felt like a true fresh start.  
The Merry men are invited to join in the celebration, before they set out to return the gold to the needy. After a short discussion they gladly accept.  
They laugh and dance until deep into the night.  
Roland is introduced to Emma and immediately the two seem to hit it off. Everything Roland does seems to delight Emma, which in turn brings a proud smile to Roland’s face.  
Regina watches over the two children, who fell asleep on one of the couches in front of the fireplace in the living room. She gently tucks them in.  
“Not one for parties?” came from behind her. She turns around. It was Robin.  
“Snow and David are hosting, someone has to keep an eye on the little ones. Someone might sneak in and take them away,” she replies with a meaningful look, but the smallest hint of teasing sneaks it’s way into her voice.  
“I deserved that one,” he admits as he comes to stand next to her.  
“Roland really enjoyed playing with her. He asked me if we could keep her…” he chuckles.  
“What did you tell him?” Regina asks casually.  
“That Emma isn’t ours to keep,” he assures her. “Care to share a drink with me?” he suggests holding up a bottle and two glasses. Regina raises an eyebrow.  
“Offering me a bottle from the Charming’s collection? How generous,” she teases causing him to chuckle.  
“Don’t you want to get back to your men?” she wonders.  
“I’d much rather have a talk with the woman who helped me get my son back,” he counters as he walks to another couch with an unobstructed view of the sleeping children.  
She follows him curiously.  
“I must make a confession,” he starts as he puts the glasses on the table and starts pouring them both a drink. “I hoped to meet you after we brought the princess back home.” Regina sits down and accepts her drink with a dubious look.  
“It’s true. While I was surveying-”  
“-spying” Regina corrects. Robin smiles and nods.  
“Anyway, I saw you spend some time with the princess. Not much, just a moment of you picking her up when she got tired and handing her to the Queen and once I saw you helping her find her footing as she tries to walk. Later I snuck in with my disguise to see if I could slip by undetected and saw you in the library. Heard you talk with Lady Belle about protection spells and healing magic. I was intrigued. You didn’t sound at all like the woman who…”  
“Sentenced people to death for looking at her at the wrong time?” she finishes.  
He smiles apologetic. “I have grown a lot since those days. And I’ve tried to make amends, but some things I can’t undo. Like what happened to your Marian,” she whispers regretfully.  
“Well, sparing my life and saving Roland, in my book, is enough to earn you a second chance.” Regina smiles and raises her glass. “To second chances then.”  
“Cheers.” Robin agrees.  
They talk for a while about their lives and what made them go down the path’s they’d chosen. They find that they can both understand each other’s heartbreak.  
To her own surprise she tells him about the incident with Frankenstein earlier that year.  
“That must’ve been awful,” Robin empathizes.  
“The hardest thing I’ve ever done. But somehow it helped. I know it sounds bad. But it helped me let him go. Saying goodbye, choosing my future instead of the past, and having a real funeral for him. It feels like I’m finally healing. I’m sorry. I just realized you never got these things with Marian either,” she interrupted herself. He lays a hand on her arm.  
“No it’s fine,” he assures her. “Seeing George fall apart did something similar for me in a twisted way as well. Does that make sense?” he asks. She smiles relieved and nods.  
He tells her about the antics of the Merry men and she tells him about the quirks of living in the Charmings’ court. They make each other laugh and the night slowly passes by without either of them noticing.  
At some point Robin gets distracted by a strand or Regina’s hair that has come lose and, encouraged by the liquor in his veins, casually tucks it away as he tells her off a quaint little meadow with a waterfall he likes to go to think. His gentle voice barely above a whisper.  
Regina in turn is distracted by the dark color on the inside of his wrist, she takes a hold of his arm and turns it so she can see it. It’s the lion tattoo.  
“Oh, that? It’s the family emblem of Richard Lionheart. The honorable nobleman I had pledged myself to.” She nods, he’d told her that story earlier tonight. The man’s brother had become envious an tricked the man into a suicide mission allowing the man to both steal his lands and chase all who were loyal to the true lord away. This had directly led to the creation of the Merry men.  
She couldn’t belief it. Tinkerbell had been right!  
Then another realization struck her. Rumpel’s prediction. Emma would bring about one happy ending before her next birthday. Is this what he’d been talking about? A second, second chance for her to find love. She feels her head spinning. She was having a great evening with Robin, and he had impressed her today, she just doesn’t know if she could handle the knowledge that this whole thing was destiny at work.  
“Regina?” he asks worriedly. Right he has no clue.  
“I… I’ve seen this tattoo before,” she admits.  
“Oh?” he replies curiously. Waiting for the story.  
“About… fourteen years ago now, I almost ran away from Leopold.” Robin doesn’t need to know about Tinkerbell yet. First she would see how he’d respond to her story without destiny being involved. “I ended up in front of a tavern and looked inside. There I saw a man with this exact tattoo on his arm, laughing with his friends. I couldn’t see his face, but I wanted to walk in and beg him to take me far away from this miserable life I was leading. To save me from this never ceasing aching in my heart,” she tells him. “And then?” he asks curiously.  
“I lost my nerve,” she confesses. “And I ran back to the castle before anyone realized I was gone.”  
She shakes her head. Hindsight indeed. “You must think I’m such a coward, preferring a comfortable agony over uncertain hope in freedom.” He’s been courteous so far, but she’s sure he won’t tolerate cowardice.  
“Not really no. What prove did you have that this would end better? So many things had been going wrong for you already, of course you were scared to take a chance. If I didn’t have Roland or my men, losing Marian would’ve turned out very different for men,” he tells her.  
“Fairy dust,” she admits, not daring to look him in the eye.  
“What?” he asks in confusion.  
“You ask me what prove I had. Fairy dust led me to that tavern and pointed me to the man with the lion tattoo.” She barely dares to breathe as she waits for this to sink in.  
“So you’re not just telling me this to say that we almost met before?” he clarifies.  
“According to the fairy who gave me the dust, it never fails,” she says, barely above a whisper.  
Robin takes this information in and then he looks her in the eyes.  
“Are you ready now?” he asks.  
“What?” She doesn’t understand what he means.  
“The dust led you to me before, now something else made our paths cross again. Are you willing to see where it leads?” he asks, intensely staring into her eyes.  
“But… Snow and Charming have lifted your bounty. You’ll be free in all of the allied kingdoms as well. You can apprehend dishonorable bandits, expose corrupt noblemen and keep giving their wealth to the needy. Isn’t that what you want?” she asks.  
“It is a noble calling. But I always envisioned having a home to return to. A northern start to light my way. Roland can’t grow up in the woods either. Recent events prove that it’s a much too dangerous place especially if I’m not by his side at all times. Besides, it looks like he likes being a big brother.” Robin glances to his son. Who is holding Emma as they slept.  
“You’re leaving him here?” Regina asks astonished.  
“I’m leaving him with you, if you agree to take him in. Consider it an extra reason for me to return,” he whispers. She only now notices that their faces are so close their noses almost touch.  
“So Regina? Are you ready now?” he asks again.  
Instead of answering she leans in and kisses him.  
The merry men leave at sunset a week later, leaving Roland to ‘look after Regina and Emma’.  
“I’ll be back by month’s end!” Robin promises both his son and Regina who wave him goodbye.

[Bittersweet](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/50937250)


	8. I The wish for a powerful magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once more confronted with Emma's destiny, Snow makes a desperate plea to the heavens, unknowingly calling fort a powerful magic.

**Princess Emma**

**II The song in her heart**

**I The wish for a powerful magic**

Snow leans against the doorframe of the balcony door, holding Emma tightly as she watches Robin say goodbye to his son and her stepmother.  
The morning after the party Regina had taken her apart and told her what had happened that night. She had been ecstatic for her of course.  
She and David were more than willing to agree to take in Roland while Regina prepares the Enchanted castle for the presence of a child.  
Regina barely left Robin’s side the entire week. The two got to know all about each other and fell helplessly in love. It fills Snow with joy just thinking about how sweet the two could be together, even if they tended to forget the world around them.  
Right now however she is filled with dread. Because of something Regina mentioned earlier that day.  
“I didn’t think I would be the first one to get a happy ending,” she’d sighed contently as they walked to breakfast together. When Snow asked her to elaborate, Regina told her what she’d heard from listening in on Rumpelstiltskin and Belle’s conversation.  
The dark one had predicted that Emma would bring about her first happy ending soon.  
Snow looks down at her sleeping daughter and presses a tender kiss to the top of her head.  
“Something wrong Snow?” Snow looks up, Charming enters their chambers.  
“Aside from the fact that our daughter’s life was threatened for the second time, third if you count the curse Regina was supposed to cast? Nothing. Nothing at all.” She didn’t mean to snap at him. He couldn’t help it that she’d just been confronted with a painful reminder of their princess’s destiny.  
“And we defeated all those threats. Like we said we would. Like we always will,” he reminds her.  
“Look at her,” he whispers adoringly as he strokes trough Emma’s hair. “She’s fine.”  
“For how long?” she argues. “How long are things going to be fine this time David? A year? Less? More?” she demands. She knows no one can give her a clear answer to that and that’s exactly the problem.  
“We should’ve won when Regina came to our side David! That was our fight. That should’ve been the end of it, but then there was Rumpelstiltskin, and then Daniel, now George… Emma is just one year old and already her life is constantly threatened. And I know Regina worries her mother will find a way to travel here from Wonderland someday and do gods know what…  
What if this is our life now? An endless chain of villains trying to take her away from us?”  
“My love, whatever comes, we’ll defeat it. Together. That’s what we do,” David assures her.  
“Yes but for how long can we keep it up?” Snow repeats desperately.  
“Every time we defeat a threat, I wonder if this is the last time. If our luck has finally run out.”  
“Snow!” Charming exclaims. It’s very unlike his wife to lose hope. Especially since he isn’t convinced it’s time for that already. He is still confident that, together, they can protect Emma from whatever trials fate will throw her way.  
“I’m sorry,” she sighs. “I just…” she can’t finish her sentence. All she can do is look down at her baby girl and think of all that had tried to darken her life already. She still had nightmares of the day Daniel had nearly… She couldn’t even finish that thought. What if Regina hadn’t gotten there when she did?  
She can’t shake the feeling that something truly evil was lurking around the corner, waiting for it’s time to strike.  
“You look tired,” Charming sighs as he holds out his arms to take Emma over. Snow lets him.  
“I’ll put Emma to bed, and then we’ll call it an early night. In the morning we’ll talk about this with clear heads.” He kisses her temple.  
“I promised that I would protect our family and I will. Do you doubt me?” he asks playfully.  
Snow smiles up at him, though it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Of course not,” she assures him.  
David kisses her cheek and leaves the room.  
Snow looks up to the sky and noticed a bright star twinkling happily among it’s countless brothers and sisters. Making a rash decision she walks out onto the balcony and shouts out a wish at the night sky. Unsure if anyone is listening.  
“I wish we had a power strong enough to protect us from the darkness that lies ahead.”  
Feeling lighter after having poured out her hopes into the wish, she turns and goes to get ready for bed. Unaware that the twinkling star will grant her wish.  
The next morning comes with the sun shining brightly and everywhere people wake up to find something is quite different about today. This is true for everyone, including the king and queen.  
Snow White awakes alone in her bed after a good night’s sleep. Her husband let her sleep in, considering how stressed she was the night before.  
As she opens her eyes she notices a bird has landed on her bedside table and sings her a good morning tune. She smiles and responds:

_"Good morning, friend_  
_oh dear, there’s something wrong_  
_‘cause all my words are coming out in song_  
_a rhythm stirs deep inside my soul_  
_I’m saying things in ways I can’t control!"  
_Snow looks up in surprise as she hears her husbands voice coming from outside their room.  
**"Aaaaahaaaahaaahaahaahaahaa**  
**What’s going on? Someone cast a spell or a curse**  
**‘Cause what I say is coming out in verse**  
**My voice just soars, had no idea it could**  
**Now I’m singing out, and my, do I sound, good!**  
**What could be the reason?"**  
_"I think I know, my love_  
_It’s all because the wish I made upon the star above_  
_With music in our hearts, we’ll defeat all evil that’s ever been"_  
**"How?"**  
_"'Cause love expressed through song_  
_is a weapon like the darkness has never seen"  
_The two monarchs can feel the melody grow stronger as they set in a chorus together.  
"There’s a powerful magic when two hearts are one  
A powerful magic bright as the sun"  
**"Goodness will triumph and evil’s undone**  
**When you dare to heed love’s call"**  
"‘Cause love is the most powerful magic of all  
It’s a powerful magic when two voices soar"  
_"I’m ever more hopeful for what lies in store"_  
**"Nothing will stop us, no, not anymore**  
**watch the wish you made come true"**  
"That is what love and it’s powerful magic can do  
Feel the song inside our hearts  
that is where the magic starts"  
_"Oh, it grows with every note"_  
**"Soaring sweetly from my throat"**  
_"Every line ends with a rhyme"_  
_"_Don’t know how, but it’s sublime  
With a melody so strong  
how can we go wrong?  
With our powerful magic, we now have the means  
‘cause love can defeat curses, potions or beans  
and the unhappy ending falls apart at the seams  
with our daughter’s fate at stake, seems we found a lucky break.  
Now let our song show the powerful magic we can make"

* * *

[A most amusing twist](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/51153214)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holly cow I just passed 1000 hits! I'm so excited! Sorry for the short chapter, it's not as long as I remember it being. I might decide to power trough this part of the story within the week. Don't worry I still have at least three month's worth of weekly updates before I run out of chapters if I hit a dry spell. So maybe you'll hear form me sooner rather than later.


	9. II Their song doesn't stand a chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking up to a musical wish doesn't make Regina any happier in this reality than it did in the original book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I decided to get trough the musical episode in one week considering the chapters are so short. That way we can also get to a point where Emma is old enough to be an actual character next week instead of in two months. Enjoy!

**Princess Emma**

**II The song in her heart**

**II Their song doesn't stand a chance**

Regina has been humming all morning. At first she thought that it was just because she was in a really good mood. Her father talked with her until late last night about the man with the lion tattoo and insisted she’ll introduce them when he returns.  
She feels like she was thrown back about twenty years and gets to enjoy a proper romance this time. No sneaking around, no fear of being separated. This time she can just enjoy it all. And to make it even better there is also Roland, the sweetest boy in the world.  
All in all it takes her a good while longer than it usually would to notice that the singing isn’t natural. When she does though, she immediately sets of to get to the bottom of this.  
“_Mirror, mirror on the wall  
I’m tortured by some spell  
Mirror, mirror on the wall  
Please, save me from this hell_”  
It really is ridiculous. Who would even think of something like this?  
Amin appears before her and the strange background music and musical cadence persists.  
“**Snow and Charming made a wish  
Now everything has changed**”  
And there it is. But why did the Charmings curse her? With a wish no less. Is this some kind of prank?  
“_Oh great, you’re singing too  
this whole thing is deranged_”  
Snow is going to get an earful, honestly. What is she thinking?  
“**Rejoice my queen, for a spell this strong won’t be easy to defeat  
All Emma’s enemies will have to retreat when her kingdom’s singing songs so sweet**”  
Wait… Emma? This musical spell is meant to keep Emma safe?  
Regina looks on incredulously as Amin shows her a view of Emma’s room where Roland comes in humming. The boy is unaware that anything out of the ordinary is going on. As far as he knows people always sing in castles after all.  
He looks over the crib and starts singing.  
“_Good morning little princess don’t you frown or fret  
Today we start, together, our biggest adventure yet  
you have many friends to meet, lots of places yet to see  
and trough everything you can count on me  
my papa taught me to be noble and true  
I’ll make my papa proud by looking after you_”  
Okay, that is really cute. Regina has to admit that much, though she’ll never say it out loud.  
Then Amin shows her a forest where the Merry men are singing as well.  
“_We are heroes of the realm, outlaws no more  
only ever wanted freedom and justice  
well we’ve never been this free before_”  
To her surprise Robin jumps up on a table, now towering over his celebrating companions and sets in a solo.  
“**I never dared to hope I could love again**  
after the heartbreak in my past  
but now I have Regina and I feel whole at last!”  
She felt the butterflies fly up in her stomach. She’s never been serenaded before.  
Sadly Robin disappears to make way for the dwarves.  
“_It’s time to work, let’s go, not a thing to make me bristle  
with a heigh, heigh, heigh, and a ho, ho, ho  
I’ll mine that mine and whistle_”  
Gepeto and Pinocchio  
“_He’s really not a toy, there’s a lifetime to enjoy  
the happy things, he’s got no strings  
cause he’s my real boy_”  
Widow Lucas  
“_La la, little princess free to play  
la la, though I’m old and gray  
happy times are here to stay_”  
The Charmings  
“_Seems we found a lucky break  
Now let our song show the powerful magic… We can make!_”  
All songs swirl around her in a chaotic mess that’s just overwhelming. How is this supposed to help Emma? How is this stronger than the unstoppable force that is her wrath?  
A song? Is that really what the Charmings want to put their faith in rather than her?  
_“Enough!_  
_So the Charmings think_  
_their lovesong is stronger than me?_  
_Well, there’s one thing they don’t know…_  
_Mirror, mirror could not be clearer_  
_this song is a waste of time_  
_I’m here to tell, with music’s magic spell,_  
_you cannot the match the power of mine_  
_I have loved and I have learned_  
_Love gives you strength, or it leaves you burned_  
_Down with love, down with hope_  
_don’t need blind faith to cope_  
_or inspiring songs in my heart_  
_Got the magic I need to stop the darkest of deeds_  
_love at times can enhance_  
_but their song doesn’t stand a chance._  
_Mirror, mirror, the time draws nearer_  
_for me to prove my worth_  
_those happy feelings that sent them reeling_  
_can’t stop hell on earth_  
_Down with love, down with hope_  
_don’t need blind faith to cope_  
_or inspiring songs in my heart_  
_Got the magic I need to stop the darkest of deeds_  
_love at times can enhance_  
_but their song doesn’t stand a chance._  
_Their song doesn’t stand a chance!_  
_I will fight for those I love_  
_Emma don’t worry, you will see_  
_Whoever comes will wish_  
_they never ever messed with me_  
_Down with love, down with hopes_  
_I’ve got the power, don’t need tropes_  
_they won’t need the song in their heart_  
_Got the magic I need to stop the darkest of deeds_  
_watch my magic outmatch romance_  
_oh, their song doesn’t stand a chance._  
_No, no Their song doesn’t stand a chance!"_

* * *

[Rock on Regina](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/51193768)


	10. III Wicked always wins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A certain green skinned witch spies on a conversation between the dark one and his former pupil.

**Princess Emma**

**II The song in her heart**

**III Wicked always wins**

After Rumple’s prediction of a few weeks ago Regina had arranged for the guards to have a mirror on hand at all times, just in case something strange or suspicious happened that made it necessary to contact her former teacher.  
Today definitely counts as strange and suspicious.  
“Hello dearie,” Rumple greets sinisterly as Regina appears in the mirror held up by his current guard.  
“What is the meaning of this wish Rumple? What is coming for Emma that requires the whole kingdom singing to counter it?” she demands.  
“Do you really think I’m going to help you? You are the one who got me locked up remember?” he sneers.  
“You’re right,” she admits. “but it never hurts to try. Besides I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to hear the dark one singing…” she smirks, waiting expectantly. If nothing else she at least wanted to enjoy this particular show.  
Rumpelstiltskin sighs, clears his throat, strikes a pose and bursts out laughing.  
“You didn’t really think I’d actually sing a little song for you did you dearie? You are of no use to me anymore. It seems I’ve wasted my time teaching you,” he leers.  
Regina scoffs. “As if you had better options. I’m the best student who ever walked through your door,” she counters confidently.  
Rumple made a face. “Eh, maybe not.”  
Regina freezes at that revelation. “What do you mean?” she asks.  
“I mean if you’re so sure about your talent, prove it. Protect your precious new family. Because otherwise there might be a more powerful witch that comes around, and takes it all away.”  
Regina scoffs and ends the conversation. He was bluffing. Aside from him there was no one more powerful than her in the entire realm.  
Meanwhile in the emerald city of Ozz a certain Wicked Witch was gleefully watching the image of Rumpel in his cell fade away.  
Finally. Finally he admitted that she was the more powerful sister. If he’d chosen her from the beginning, she wouldn’t have fallen for this lovey dovey ‘let’s be a family’ sham.  
With a delighted laugh she sets in a song of her own.

_“Finally the moment I was hoping would come  
The moment he would realize he chose the wrong one  
There isn't any curse I could cast to match this feeling  
The pain I knew when Rumple turned his back on my heart  
at last will be Regina's when her life falls apart  
Suddenly the future's looking more appealing  
Once I was filled with rage  
Now I enjoy the ride  
It's so electrifying  
Watching all her dreams denied  
Oh I will fly into tomorrow  
my sister full of sorrow  
finally paying for her sins  
I'll smile all the while she is crying  
Inside she's slowly dying  
Wicked always wins  
Oh evil may be powerful  
But wicked always wins  
If mum could see me now she would ache with regret  
Cause she'd witness all the glory wickedness gets  
She went and made Regina queen and my blood boil  
But that's all history  
Time they all understood  
what they call green with envy  
I just call looking good  
Oh I will fly into tomorrow  
My sister full of sorrow  
finally paying for her sins  
No strife her life was so enchanted  
she took it all for granted  
Now she'll dream of could have beens  
Oh evil may be powerful  
But wicked always”_  
Suddenly she comes to a revelation.  
“Wait... Why just revel in her demise when I can use it to my advantage?” she smirks.  
“_I'll give her a magic gift that brings the Charmings down_  
When Regina’s hopes are in ruins I'll swoop right into town  
When he learns the spells was mine  
Oh Rumple he will see he should've chosen me”  
When she was ready to enact her own plan, Regina would wish she still had the power of music on her side.  
“So I will fly into tomorrow  
Delighting in her sorrow as a better day begins  
This time nobody's gonna stop me  
No evil's gonna taunt me  
Oh wicked always wins  
Her happy ending will be mine  
Cause wicked always wins”

* * *

[A wicked song](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/51226423)


	11. IV Revenge is going to be mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The charming's make their way to Regina's castle, and the fastest way to get there is via pirate ship.

**Princess Emma**

**II The song in her heart**

**IV Revenge is going to be mine**

Snow and Charming tried to get into contact with Regina and failed.  
Unbeknownst to them, the former evil queen isn’t feeling chatty today. Determined to discuss the best way to approach this situation with her though, they decided to travel to her castle as fast as possible. Which means they’ll need a ship to bring them. They put on their travel clothes and after a brief discussion decided to take Emma with them to the harbor town near the castle while Roland is left in Granny’s care for the day.  
As long as they don’t know for sure how to use the magic the wish granted them they just can’t bear to let her out of their sight. It would be devastating for something bad to happen moments before Regina figures out how to use the song to its full potential and have them not even be near to protect her.  
It turns out that while Regina’s castle hasn’t been considered evil for two years now, there were still few people willing to sail there, due to the difficult to sail route. And when they inform the harbor workers that they need to get there as fast as possible everyone tells them that they need the ‘Jolly Roger’.  
“Fastest ship in the realm, with one of the few captains crazy enough to think they can maneuver those waters, possibly the only one who might actually pull it off to booth!” A fisherman tells them.  
“You’re in luck. They just arrived in port last evening. You should find the captain in the tavern,” his friend continues, pointing in the direction of one of the ships and then to the rows of businesses that line the docks. They follow their directions to a rather seedy tavern.  
David looks around with mild disdain. He doesn’t like pirates. He likes them even less around his wife and he despises the thought of them within miles from his daughter. But he knows he has to bear with it. To distract himself he asks Snow: “You think the wish affected them?”  
She shrugs. “There’s only one way to find out,” she whispers readjusting her hold on Emma, who’s looking around in interest. Something behind her mother seems to catch her eye. David doesn’t want to find out what. He wants to get his family out of here as soon as possible.  
So he turns to the first man he sees.  
“You there! Pirate!” He says in a commanding tone, drawing the attention of the short, chubby man wearing a red hat that sits on a barstool next to the door.  
“Are you the captain of a ship called the Jolly Roger?” he inquires.  
“Really?” the man smiles in astonishment.  
“That’s very nice of you to ask,” he says in a pleasant tone. Emma interrupts him however, by making a dissatisfied sounding “Nja” and patting her father’s arm impatiently.  
“Tha!” she coos pointing at a table on the other side of the door. The table she’s been looking at with fascination for a few minutes now.  
There sits a dark haired man, with a hook where his left hand should be, dressed in black leather. Everything about him screams danger to both the king and queen. Meanwhile their daughter just giggles happily and keeps reaching out to him. Indicating she thinks she just found a new playmate.  
The pirate smirks, an amused glint in his blue yes.  
“Got a smart lass there. Mr. Smee is an excellent first mate. But not a captain. I am.”  
He gets up and approaches the royal pair, focusing his attention to the female members of the young family. “Allow me to introduce myself. Captain Hook,” he says with a mild sway in his movements. David didn’t know for sure if it was because of the alcohol he’d no doubt consumed, if this was just how he moved or if he was mocking them. He didn’t care to find out.  
“We need to get to the Enchanted Castle to save our daughter.” He lays a mild emphasis on ‘our daughter’ to remind the man that his wife isn’t a potential conquest.  
The captain quirks a brow and looks down at Emma. She squeals in delight, happy to get her new friend’s attention and waves at him happily.  
“She looks fine to me. Already smarter than her old man,” he jabs.  
“Gets that from you love?” he asks Snow with a smirk. He’s enjoying getting under his skin, David is sure of it. Snow doesn’t miss a beat however.  
“You know how it goes, dreadful prophecies and the like.”  
Hooks face shows that he in fact does know what kind of dangers the queen is talking about.  
“We are willing to pay you for this journey,” she assures him. David tosses the man a bundle of gold coins, which the one handed pirate catches without trouble.  
“This is just a taste,” David assures him, as the pirate turns his gaze to the bundle briefly, weighing it in his hand.  
“So what will it be pirate, silver, gold?” David rattles off, his tone making it clear that he doesn’t have a high opinion of the man in front of him. Hook looks up at him, still not very interested.  
“Jewels?” David presses, trying to show that the pirate can’t name a price they aren’t willing to pay.  
And with only a strange sound echoing through the air as a warning, the pirate starts singing.  
“_Apologies your highnesses, but your offer is meaningless  
Don't give a damn ‘bout your rank.  
The gold in your sack, well it isn't worth jack…  
I should make you fools go walk the plank!  
Your riches would fill other pirates with glee  
But none of those pirates are me!!! (They're not he!)  
Singin' yo ho; keep your jewels divine.  
Yo ho – and your manners refined  
Cuz even more precious than rum in a stein  
is Revenge, revenge, revenge, and it's gonna be mine.  
Revenge, revenge, revenge…is gonna be mine._”  
Emma squeals along with the song, clapping her hands in excitement.  
“Revenge? On whom?” Snow asks as she tries to shield her daughter from the tavern, as if merely looking at the pirates will somehow have a bad influence on her.  
“Just wait on the second verse luv,” he tells her in a low voice before returning to the dance number the whole tavern is taking part in.  
“_I've savaged and pillaged and pilfered each village -  
My conquest I'm justly proud of. (He's proud of…)  
Each town that I plunder, I leave torn asunder  
A pirate's life is one to love. (One to love!)  
And yet my heart's hardened as hard as a rock –  
Won't rest ‘til I skin me a croc!!! (Gonna skin him a croc!)  
Singin yo ho! You can beg plead ad whine.  
But yo ho – you'll be wasting your time.  
That croc got my hand – wanna tear out his spine!  
Revenge, revenge, revenge…is gonna be mine.  
Revenge, revenge, revenge…is gonna be mine._”  
“Let’s go,” David sighs annoyed. He doesn’t have the patience to listen to this clearly deranged individual.  
“Wait,” Snow insists, turning to the captain.  
“So you want revenge on a crocodile? For taking your hand?” she clarifies.  
“Afraid he did more than that,” Hook assures her.  
“_Once I sailed toward a horizon where I might find happiness waiting.  
Until that croc destroyed my life and filled me with hate unabaiting.  
Some say ‘Let it go' but I say ‘HELL NO!'  
I'm finally on the right path!!!  
Soon the dark one will feel (he will feel)  
The fire of this pirate's wrath_”  
The two young monarchs look at each other with hope.  
“Wait did you say dark one?” Snow asks eagerly. The Pirate looks up with interest now. Finally willing to listen to the two.  
“I think I know why you haven’t been able to find him. He’s in our dungeon,” David hurries.  
“Bloody hell.” Something in Hook’s eyes lights up as he realizes what the king is saying.  
“Give us safe passage to the castle and you’ve got yourself a crocodile,” Snow bargains.  
“Aye, Luv. You have a deal. Have one last drink mates, then we’ve got a date with destiny!”  
Hook declares as he throws a drink in the fire.  
“_Singing yo-ho, I'll slaughter this swine_  
Yo-ho, must be fate's design  
At last our tales will again intertwine  
Revenge, revenge, revenge is gonna be mine  
Oh, it's gonna be  
Oh, it's gonna be  
Oh, it's gonna be mine  
Oh, it's gonna be  
Oh, it's gonna be  
Oh, it's gonna be mine”

* * *

[A pirate's chantey](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/51242464)


	12. V A journey in vain?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a rather tense trip, the charmings arive in the queens castle. Can they avoid the trap Zelena set for them? Will their happiness be protected from now on? Or are wishes just never that simple no matter who grants them?

**Princess Emma**

**II The song in her heart**

**V A journey in vain?**

Soon the Charmings stand on deck, trying their best not to be in the way and not to draw attention. Emma is sucking her thumb and looking around curiously. She’s never been on a ship before so there are many new things to see.  
Smee stands next to the captain who is manning the wheel.  
“What do you think is going on captain?” Smee whispers excitedly.  
“What do you mean Mr. Smee?” Hook asks as he surveys the activity on deck, ensuring that his crew is performing to his satisfaction.  
“Well, the singing sir,” Smee clarifies.  
“After centuries on this ship you should know better than to question odd events,” Hook tells his first mate firmly.  
“Yes sir, but this is the first time strange events aren’t of the life threatening kind,” Smee counters.  
“Count your blessings Mr. Smee. If things go well, we’ll never return to Neverland and we’ll get to live a life as free men of the sea,” he told him as he gestures for him to take the wheel and walks the length of his beloved ship.  
“She’s getting fussy,” Snow whispers to her husband as Emma starts squirming and gesturing to the ground. “Own!” she demands with a frustrated frown at her mother’s reluctance to let her stretch her legs.  
“We’ll just have to keep an eye on her. She’ll notice the floor is wobbly soon enough,” Charming suggests. Snow takes a deep breath and nods. She puts Emma down on the deck. Immediately the girl tries to take a few steps and notices that it’s a lot harder to hold her balance here.  
She sways for a moment and then falls over, right in front of the boot of the captain.  
Hook stops and looks down. Emma smiles up at him and reaches out to him with both arms.  
“Up!” she declares, causing the man to chuckle and raise his eyebrows in amusement.  
“Well hello there little princess,” he greets her. The dangerous edge that had been in his voice almost completely gone in favor of a gentle tone.  
To her parents horror the man picks her up with his right arm, tucking his left behind his back to make sure she won’t take interest in the shiny attachment he has there.  
“Want to take a closer look at the handsome pirate do ya lass?” He notices that the king has his hand at his sword and the queen is ready to snatch her child away.  
He can’t help but feel amused. Do they really think he’d harm the crown princess? In front of her parents? Right when they’re about to give him what he’s been after for centuries now?  
Emma, meanwhile, is feeling at the strange new texture of the pirate captain’s jaw. It isn’t smooth like her father’s, and not bushy like Grumpy’s beard. It’s a completely new feeling and it intrigues the one year old. If her deeply focused expression is anything to go by.  
Killian just chuckles and waits patiently until Emma loses interest. Which she does, only to turn her focus to his eyes. After a moment she smiles and pats his cheeks.  
“Bue!” she tells her audience proudly.  
“Yes sweetie, the man’s eyes are blue. Now come to mommy,” Snow instructs her gently.  
The princess ignores her mother completely, just smiling at her new friend, who doesn’t mind in the slightest.  
“Well what do you know? Her little highness would rather play with the pirate than listen to her mother,” he observes, ignoring the tense postures of the girl’s parents in favor of giving the young princess his undivided attention.  
“A little troublemaker are we? I thought I saw a bit of pirate in those eyes. Are you planning on giving your parent’s grey hair before the year ends?” He chuckles.  
“You liked the pirate’s song didn’t ya lass?” he asks in a conspiring tone.  
Emma claps in excitement, enjoying the different way the captain talks. She pats his head affectionately and the pirate chuckles. “Thanks lass,” he says before releasing her parents from their misery and handing her back.  
“You’ll have your hands full with that one. If she can charm a pirate now, I shudder to think what she’ll be capable off once she’s grown.” He turns and leaves, not giving the king and queen a chance to respond.  
Soon they arrive at their destination.  
“Do you need us to wait to take you back?” the captain calls after them as they get off.  
“No, we were just in a hurry to get here. Going back can take as long as it needs to,” David tells him.  
“Alright mate. I’ll come for my reward in the morning. Don’t forget!” And with that the Jolly Rogers sets sail once again.  
Snow and Charming are let into the castle without problem and walk straight to the throne room, hoping to find Regina there. Instead they find a small box on a table that stands to the side.  
Curiously they walk towards it and just when Snow is about to pick it up a loud “Stop!” echoes trough the room. The king and queen shoot up and turn towards the source. Regina has just arrived.  
“Don’t touch stuff when you don’t know what it does,” she lectures them.  
“Gina,” Emma calls, though noticeably less enthusiastic than she usually would. The traveling has made her tired.  
“Hello honey, did your parents take you on a trip?” Regina coos gently as she glances at her stepdaughter and her husband.  
“Roland is with Granny, we weren’t ready to let Emma out of our sight yet,” David explains.  
Regina nods in understanding as she approaches the box. “I didn’t put that there,” she tells them with a critical look at the object.  
“Maybe it was put there by the wish?” Snow suggests.  
“Then it would’ve been here all day and I know for a fact that it wasn’t,” Regina counters.  
“Regardless it’s better to make sure. What are you doing here anyway?” she asks as she studies the object, trying to decide whether it’s safe to touch the box or not.  
“Well we figured if there is anyone who knows how to make the most of a spell this powerful, it would be you.”  
Regina sighs. She supposes it is flattering that she’s the first to come to mind when they think of powerful magic. But not all magic is the same and they’ve been exposed to enough magic in their lives to know this much haven’t they.  
“This is wish magic. You’d be better off asking Amin about it,” she tells Snow as she picks up the box, just as she’s about to take it to her study and call Amin to help the Charmings the door swings open with force. A guard rushes in.  
Regina drops the box and it falls open. A green magical glow shines in all of their chests and leads trough their mouths into the box. When it shut itself Snow and Charming look at each other with dread.  
“It’s a powerful magic,” they say, but despite their conviction being just as strong, the song won’t come.  
“I swear that wasn’t me, green is not my color,” Regina promises, holding her hands up in defense.  
“We know Regina,” Snow sighs as she holds Emma closer, her fears returning to her in full force.  
“If you hadn’t stopped us earlier we would’ve opened that box ourselves,” David reminds her.  
“What was that about?” Regina turns to her guard who is shaking in his boots as he realizes something bad just happened. In the old days this would’ve gotten him cursed or killed. He tries to calm his nerves as he reminds himself that those days are long over.  
“I… Sorry but a… um… I saw… A flying monkey? At the window earlier and thought…”  
Regina groans. “I know who did this. I don’t know why, but I’ll get to the bottom of it,”  
she assures her stepdaughter and her family.  
“You two feed Emma, and go home. It’s a long trip by carriage,” she reminds them as she hands them the box and walks off to her study. _‘That wicked witch is about to find out what happens when you mess with a queen,’_ she thinks.  
When Snow and Charming arrive home, Emma is fast asleep. They barely get her to wake up long enough to have her dinner and afterwards she immediately dozes off.  
They put her in her crib and watch over her in silence…  
Then a star in the night sky descends down through the window.  
“Blue,” Charming breathes in surprise as the light turns into the Blue fairy who joins them.  
“You granted the wish,” Snow realizes. “But it didn't work. The song was taken from us,” she tells her old friend, who smiles soothingly.  
“No one can do that. It's still inside you. It's still inside everyone. And now, with everyone's song in her heart, Emma will be protected.” She says as she uses her wand and her blue magic lights up Emma’s heart.  
“Why? I mean, how does that help her?” Snow insists.  
“One day, she will face a battle like no one has ever faced before. And I'm afraid she will feel like she has to face it alone, despite our best efforts to teach her that she doesn’t. But thanks to your wish, no matter what happens she'll have the people who love her with her,” Blue explains.  
The young parents look at each other and then at their daughter. Hoping beyond hope that the songs would be enough to remind her of their love.  
“In the morning, we'll have forgotten that we ever sang in the first place. That way, the songs will remain safe,” Blue tells them.  
“Then, how will Emma know she has them?” Charming argues. If they can’t tell her about them then what use are they?  
“We will just have to hope that they find their way to the surface when she needs them the most.” Is all she can offer them.  
When midnight strikes, the Charmings finally manage to fall asleep, forgetting about their daughters lonely final task. A hopeful melody plays in the back of their minds.  
The rest of the kingdom slumbers peacefully unaware that their memories of the day have changed.  
Regina forgets about the spy from Ozz. Hook forgets the location of his crocodile.  
Rumpelstiltskin fidgets in his cell, aware that something is missing but unable to grasp it.  
And even in Ozz, Zelena forgets about her plan to claim her victory the next day.  
And Emma? Emma sleeps soundly to the melodies playing in her heart. Reminding her that she is, and always will be, loved.

* * *

[A hopeful ending](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/51273778)


	13. I The Ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time passes and little girls grow.  
Young princess Emma is six years old and has a wide variety of friends. Meet them all as Emma's family get's ready to celebrate the eight year anniversary of her parent's marriage, and so too, the 8th year of peace in the kingdom.

**Princess Emma**

**III Princess Emma's entourage**

**I The ball**

A lovely midday sun fills the nursery with sunlight.  
Time has passed and many things have changed. The crib is moved to the side of the room and now holds dolls an stuffed animals of various types and sizes. A small vanity stands right next to it, holding ribbons and brushes and other essentials for a young girl. On the other side of the vanity is a big wardrobe filled with beautiful dresses. Across the room stands a canopy bed, the curtains decorated with the crystal unicorns that once hung over the crib. Toys of all types and sizes were found everywhere.  
The only thing that is missing in this perfect princess bedroom is the lovely little princess herself…  
Or that is how it would appear on first glance.  
For in the wardrobe hiding between the gowns is a six year old princess Emma.  
She is trying her best to move as little as possible and to keep her breathing even.  
Heavy footsteps sound in the hall. He’s coming.  
“Emma?” a deep voice says slowly.  
“I know you can hear me... You better come out now,” he warns.  
Emma resists the urge to move farther back. If she does that, he’ll hear her.  
The bedroom door opens and she can hear the footsteps make their way through the room.  
“Well the princess isn’t in her bed… Can’t have escaped from the balcony…” The man reasons.  
“So where could she be hiding?” he ponders, pacing around the room.  
Emma reminds herself to be extra quiet. Any sound and he’ll know exactly where she is.  
His footsteps come closer and closer, she can see his shadow through the cracks underneath the door. “Oh Emma,” the voice singsongs.  
“You can run, but you can’t hide,” the man promises.  
Suddenly the doors swing open and Emma looks up at the smiling face of her father. She can’t help but start laughing. “You found me daddy!” she giggles, accepting her defeat.  
“Of course I did. I will always find you,” king David tells his daughter as he picks her up and swings her around, filling the room with their excited laughter.  
“Now,” David says more seriously as he puts her down and gets on one knee to talk to her.  
“Mind telling me why you ran off to hide instead of joining us for lunch?” he queries.  
Emma pouts. “After lunch you’re going to make me wear that blue dress. I don’t like it,” she tells him.  
“It’s a lovely dress Emma. You said so yourself when you first saw it. Queen Ella will be disappointed if you don’t wear it to the party tonight. She’ll think you didn’t like her birthday gift to you,” David explains patiently.  
“Why wear a gown if I’m not going to dance?” Emma argues. Her father nods in understanding.  
“So that’s what this is about. I’m sorry dear, but you’re simply not old enough,” he tells her reluctantly. He hates disappointing his daughter, but fact of the matter is that most of the ball will take place after her bedtime.  
“Then why do I have to go?” Emma insists.  
“Well, don’t you know what day it is?” David asks her.  
“It’s your wedding anniversary,” she shrugs.  
“Exactly. Eight years ago your mother and I promised each other in front of the whole kingdom that we’d be together. And you have to be there, because nine months later you came along as proof of our love for each other. We could never celebrate that promise without having our own ray of sunlight with us. There’ll be lots of delicious food at the dinner. And all our friends will be there, wearing their nice clothes. Alex, James, David, Philip, even Melody…” David cuts himself off as he realizes that he said too much, but it’s too late.  
Emma lights up. “My friends are coming? Really? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”  
While she’s visited all her friends at their castles before and they’ve all come by the Charming Castle on occasions it rarely happens that they’re all together in one place.  
If she’d known they’ll be here she would’ve been looking forward to today instead of dreading it.  
Not that she doesn’t want her parents to celebrate their wedding day. She just didn’t want to be bored during the whole celebration.  
“Your mother wanted it to be a surprise… Please don’t tell her I said anything,” David pleads.  
“You want me to lie to mother?” Emma asks confused.  
“It isn’t lying exactly. It’s just not telling her you know about the surprise,” David clarifies, though part of him knows that he’ll one day regret giving his daughter a loophole like this.  
“So you want me to keep a secret, about you not keeping a secret?” she reasons.  
David nods, keeping secrets wasn’t as bad as lying. “Exactly.”  
“Hmmm…” Emma ponders for a moment. David sighs.  
“I know that look. Name your price.” His daughter was surprisingly crafty when it came to these kinds of situations.  
“One extra scoop of ice cream with dessert?” she suggests. David smirks and nods. On an occasion such as this he could probably justify giving his daughter a little extra of her favorite dessert.  
“Fine, but, I’ll have to give your mother a good reason for giving you extra sweets…” He could drive a fair bargain too after all.  
“Well, what if I behave really well during dinner?” Emma suggests, she would do that anyway.  
“Sounds fair,” David nods. “But we should really get going now. Regina and Robin are here already and Roland will want to see his little sister,” he reminds her as he ruffles trough her hair.  
“Dad!” she scolds him trying to smooth out her curls with her hands.  
“Oops,” David chuckles, not sounding sorry at all. “Alright. Brush your hair and then join us for lunch.”  
With that he leaves the room. Emma walks to her vanity and starts brushing her hair, humming a strange tune. It isn’t an old lullaby, nor is it any song she’s ever heard on any party before. It’s just something she usually hums when losing herself in her own thoughts.

* * *

When she’s done with brushing her hair she hurries towards the dining room.  
As she turns a corner she runs straight into someone who stops her from falling down.  
“Ho there Emma!” a boy’s voice chuckles.  
Emma looks up and about a foot above her’s she sees the face of 9 year old Roland.  
Roland was like a big brother to her an had been in her life ever since she can remember. She knows there is a story behind Regina and Roland’s father meeting, but when she asks for it everyone says she’ll hear it when she’s older. Roland sadly doesn’t remember the events well and can’t help her much. So they both have to wait for that day when they are ‘older’ enough to hear it.  
“What’s your rush?” he wonders.  
“I’m late for lunch,” she replies innocently as she skips past him and they start walking together.  
“I know, I was coming to see where you were.”  
“A princess needs time to look presentable,” Emma tells Roland in a playfully posh kind of tone. The two laugh and Roland pulls his surrogate sister in for a hug. It’s been an unusually long time since they last saw each other. A full month. Between preparations for the party and other duties, there just hasn’t been an opportunity for them to visit each other.  
“Father says that when I turn twelve I get to take my horse out by myself. Then I can come here whenever I want,” Roland tells her.  
“Which means I need to wait at least six more years before I can take Mira out by myself,” Emma huffs in frustration. Mira is the now almost 15 month old filly that was born days before her fifth birthday and had quickly won her heart. Mira’s parents were both new to the Royal stables and there to pull coaches or to be borrowed to guests should the need arise.  
Mira has nothing of what one would expect a princess’ horse to have. No noble lineage, no impressive looks or skills as far as anyone could tell. Still Emma’s parents have allowed Emma her one wish on her birthday. For Mira to be hers.  
It all came with the warning that she has to wait until her seventh birthday until she can really start learning how to ride and even then it will take time before she can join her parents when they take their horses out. She doesn’t like it, but is determined to wait as long as it takes.  
“Your time will come Emma,” Roland promises. “And when it does we’ll go and explore the woods together, how does that sound?” This does make the princess smile brightly.  
“So,” she asks in turn. “Looking forward to the ball?” Roland has been old enough to attend these parties with his parents for a year now, this would be his second celebration.  
Regina and Robin both preferred to celebrate their anniversaries in private and Roland hadn’t wanted a big ball for either of his birthdays since.  
So his first real ball had been her parent’s 7th anniversary.  
Roland shrugs. “There aren’t many kids my age,” he tells her.  
“Too bad. Well if you’re bored you can always sneak off and come play with me in my room,” Emma suggests, proud of herself for remembering not to mention the secret.  
Roland smiles and nods. Happy with the invitation.  
They both enter the dining room, where the whole family is together.  
“Emma!” Regina greets her as the princess runs towards her and hugs her tightly.  
“Hello your highness,” Robin teasingly greets as he formally kisses her hand before being tackled into a hug as well.  
“I’ve missed you both,” Emma tells them.  
“And we missed you,” Regina informs her. “Let’s never be apart that long again. I swear you’ve grown while I wasn’t looking. You are not allowed to do that,” she mock scolds her as she taps her nose.  
“I haven’t grown at all. I can still fit in the dress you gave me see?” Emma twirls around, showing off the nice but comfortable dress she’d gotten from Regina for her birthday.  
“I suppose you’re right,” Regina allows.  
“Let’s all get started on lunch shall we? The first guests are due to arrive by three and we still need to get a lot of things ready,” Snow White suggests.  
“Okay mommy.” They all sit themselves at the table. Emma between her parents on one side and Roland between his on the other.  
“So Robin, how was the mission in the infinite forest?” David asks casually as they start eating.  
“Daunting, but fruitful. The information was sound. We found the nest of bandits and managed to bring them all in. We even recuperated some valuables that might interest our dear queen.” And Robin laid out a few pieces of jewelry that made Snow’s eyes well up with tears.  
“These were all my mothers. Heirlooms or gifts my father gave her,” she whispers incredulously.  
“Oh, right. You took those with you when…” Regina stops herself with a quick look at Emma. She knows what that look means. It means that she isn’t ‘old enough’ to hear this story.  
“Before I met your father,” Snow starts to explain as best as she can without revealing things Regina isn’t ready to share. “I lived on the road for a while. I had to sell these to get by,” she whispers as she picks up a necklace and studies it. “I didn’t think I’d ever see them again.”  
“Once again proof that it was a smart move to have the nobles catalogue all their heirlooms. Now the truly important jewels can be returned to those they truly belong to,” Robbin tells her.  
“Thank you Robbin,” Snow whispers.  
“But Mommy I thought you were born a princess?” Emma wonders. It’s all she knows about her parent’s past. A princess who fell in love with a shepherd, who had switched places with a prince.  
“I was… But sometimes a princess gets lost on her way to become queen,” she tells her gently.  
Emma thinks about it and nods. Accepting that this is as far as the discussion goes.  
“So Regina how was the inspection?” Snow inquires.  
“The shield is holding up nicely and there still have been no incidents between ogres and those who’ve passed the barrier for supply runs. Belle is very pleased.”  
“Will Lady Belle be in the castle tonight?” Emma asks curiously. Lady Belle was a very nice woman, who visits the castle every once in a while. Though nearly every time she’d disappear all of the sudden and then come back to say goodbye.  
Emma has made it a game to find out where she goes. So every time Belle seems to have disappeared she goes and looks for her. She doesn’t want to follow her around all night, in case she gets caught.   
“Yes. All our friends will come to the party,” Snow assures her daughter with a smile Emma now knows is because of the surprise they have for her.  
Then the doors to the dining room open and in walk Pinocchio, now 13, and his father.  
“Gepeto! Pinocchio! I didn’t know you’d be coming too!” Emma greets excitedly.  
Both woodworkers are wearing their finest clothes and bow for the gathered royals.  
“Well we just finished setting up your parent’s anniversary gift in the courtyard and we thought it would be nice to join my old friends, while you kids wait for your new friends to arrive.”  
“Gepeto!” Snow hisses nodding her head towards Emma.  
The princess meanwhile locks eyes with her father for a split second before letting her eyes widen in feigned realization. “Wait… Are my friends coming too?” she squeals in delight.  
She casts her mother a hopeful look.  
“Well… Yes. I’d hoped to keep it a surprise until they actually got here,” Snow mutters disappointed.  
“Well it’s a surprise now!” Emma insists, making her mother smile a little.  
If it made her daughter smile like that, she can’t be mad about anything.  
“It’s a miracle she hasn’t figured it out sooner,” Regina tells her step daughter.  
They all learned pretty soon that Emma won’t fall for any deceit. The old trick of hiding medicine in her food is pointless to say the least. Telling her old wives tales to get her to go to bed is equally ineffective. And hiding surprises from her was a chore in and of itself.  
Snow nods in agreement and lets the whole situation go. Soon they finish their lunch and Emma and Roland are sent to their rooms to get ready for the guests.

* * *

A few hours later Roland tells Emma it’s time to go. They walk together to the ballroom, dressed in their nicest clothes. On the way down the stairs they both stop at a portrait.  
It was a painting of prince Henry, the only grandfather either of them had ever known. He’d passed away in his sleep during the past summer. Emma sucks in a shaky breath, barely holding back her tears. Roland squeezes her hand in support. They both missed Poppa Henry terribly.  
She takes a deep breath and smiles up at him. “Let’s make Grandpa proud tonight,” she says softly.  
Roland nods and they both continue their path, letting go of each other’s hands as they join their respective parents. Roland stands with his family in the hallway talking to Gepeto and Pinocchio while Emma walks to the entry way to greet the guests with her parents.  
“You look beautiful,” her father whispers to her. Emma smiles up at him before returning her attention to the task at hand. Ready to prove that she can behave like a proper princess and will soon be ready to represent the kingdom alongside her parents at any event.  
Only close friends and family are invited to the dinner, the other guests will come afterwards for the ball. It’s unlikely she’ll see much of them.  
The first to arrive are the members of her parent’s war council.  
The dwarves greet their friends the king and queen and complement the little princess.  
Emma smiles, bows and looks innocent when Grumpy tells her he and his brothers will be patrolling the halls during the dance to make sure there aren’t any mishaps.  
She has no idea why he would tell that to her specifically like that. None at all. It isn’t like she has a habit of pulling pranks on the dwarves whenever they are around.  
After the dwarves leave, Blue appears with well wishes from all the other fairies.  
“Remember Emma. If you are good, true and just, good things will come to you,” she stresses.  
Emma nods politely and bows for her fairy god mother.  
Granny and Red come by, accompanied by the huntsman. They’re responsible for protecting forests and wildlife in the kingdom and are the only ones who can successfully navigate the infinite forest. Whenever Emma goes out to pick flowers Red and the Huntsman are with her if her parents can’t come along.  
Red asks her when they’re going for another stroll through the forest, Emma promises her they’ll go once winter passes.  
Then finally their herald, Simon, announces:  
“King Thomas, queen Ella and their daughter Princess Alexandra.” Emma barely suppresses the urge to hug her best friend right then and there. Instead she just smiles brightly as she bows in greeting. Alexandra smiles gently, as she and her parents greet them in return, though the twinkling lights in her eyes betray that she’s as excited as Emma feels.  
Their parents exchange pleasantries and the girls just smile at each other, already excited for the slumber party. Emma waves Alexandra off as they move to the ballroom to mingle until dinner.  
“Queen Aurora, king Philip and their son prince Philip.”  
Philip, a year younger than Emma and Alexandra, fidgets in his clothes, but otherwise goes through the motions quite well. He has grown a lot since the last time Emma saw him.  
“Queen Abbigail, king Frederic and their sons prince James and prince Adam.”  
Emma smiles at the trouble twins. James and Adam look identically the same and neither ever hesitates to confuse the people around them about their identity. And that at age five. All adults are bracing themselves for when the two get older.  
James is actually named for her father, since he was using _his _twin’s name when he helped the king and queen of the golden kingdom find each other.  
Sadly her uncle James died before her father ever had the chance to meet him.  
Adam is named for king Fredric’s father.  
Both boys bow and grin at her, a secret promise for lots of mischief to come later. She winks back, signaling she is game. The parents finish their formal greetings and the children pretend no sinister pacts were made while the kings and queens weren’t paying attention.  
They move on to mingle and Simon announces the next guests.  
“King Eric, queen Ariel and their daughter Princess Melody.”  
While Alexandra is her best friend Melody is her most interesting by far.  
Only two months younger than Emma, Melody was born to her mermaid mother and human father. Which means she spends some of her time with a tail instead of legs. This makes for some interesting stories every time they meet.  
Queen Ariel, never one for formal conversations, gushes openly over what a lady Emma is becoming and how lovely she looks in her dress. Emma giggles and bows.  
“Thank you. You look very pretty too,” she replies politely.  
“We won’t keep you any longer. We look forward to the party,” king Eric chuckles as he ushers his wife and daughter to the rest of the crowd.  
Emma looks up at her parents, they nod. All the guests are here, they can go eat.

* * *

Emma follows her parents inside to get dinner started.  
The adults joke and laugh about past adventures and become quiet as someone refers to a serious matter. Usually using vague terms, not wanting to reveal anything to the children they aren’t supposed to know about yet.  
Meanwhile the children are enjoying their dinner and sending each other quick glances over the table. Silently urging each other to hurry up and finish so they can go play.  
“Mother,” Roland says as he cleans of his plate after the main course. “Is it alright if I stay with Emma and her friends instead of going to the ball?” he asks hopefully.  
Regina and Robin look at each other for a moment and then to Snow and Charming.  
“Well…” Charming starts, not sure what to tell the boy.  
“We would like it if you stayed for a little while Roland. You don’t have to be with us the whole night, of course, but people will be expecting to at least see you,” Snow explains.  
Roland sighs, but nods. Emma locks eyes with him and winks, which brightens his mood. It was a secret promise to come to his aid as soon as she can.  
Emma and Roland learned long ago that people will let them get away with a lot if they think it’s for a sibling thing. So long as Emma makes a sad face and asks for her big brother’s help with something teachers and nobility alike won’t deny her leaving the room to talk to him.  
When dessert is served the children all cheer as they see the extra big serving of ice cream that’s put in front of them.  
Snow White looks at the servings in surprise. “Since they can’t enjoy the dance I thought they’d like this as a consolation prize,” Charming whispers.  
Snow smiles fondly at her husband. “You spilled the beans didn’t you?” Charming’s eyes widen.  
“Oh come on. I know when my daughter is putting up a show. And even if I didn’t, she grinned like the cat that got the cream when we told Vincent to get the next course. She knew what was coming.”  
She kisses his cheek. “But it got her to join us for lunch and to behave outstandingly all night. Now tell me. How happy was she when she heard.”  
David sighs defeated and then smiles at his wife. “I didn’t know she could smile that wide,” he tells her. Snow looks at Emma, who is talking with Alexandra while they eat their ice cream.  
“I can’t belief how big she’s getting,” she sighs.  
David nods. “I swear I could cradle her in my arms just yesterday.”  
“Before we know it she’ll attend her first ball,” the queen muses.  
“Don’t remind me,” David grumbles. While he can’t wait to show off his beautiful daughter in front of everyone they’d ever met, he could do without watching noblemen and women encouraging their sons to impress the crown princess of the most prosperous kingdom in the area.  
“I think… I think we’re doing okay with her aren’t we? She is so… Just look at her.” Snow marvels.  
“She lives up to her father’s nickname,” Regina chimes in with an affectionate smirk.  
“Roland is becoming quite the dashing young man as well,” David offers as he watches the young man entertain Philip Jr. and the twins.  
“Indeed. I shudder for the day when he discovers girls,” Regina chuckles in response.  
“For now he’s mostly interested in spending time with his sister,” Robin observes with a proud smile.  
“I wonder if he, on some level, knows that she needs all the support she can get.”  
With that statement from the former outlaw the group becomes silent for a moment. The subject of Emma’s fate comes up every once in a while and it always manages to make them wonder if they are doing enough. But, as is often the case, soon Emma’s laughter reaches them and puts their hearts at ease. Today, their princess is alright.  
After everyone finishes their desserts, Simon comes in and tells them that the first coaches are approaching the castle. David and Snow get up and address their guests.  
“Everyone, thank you for coming. The ball will start soon. So will the children follow Vincent and Donna to Emma’s room? There everything is prepared for your slumber party.  
Everyone else, please follow us to the ballroom.”  
Emma gets up, bows for the adults and walks over to the staff members her father mentioned, her friends promptly following her example. Before they leave the room she glances back to Roland, reaffirming her promise.

* * *

When they arrive in the room it’s indeed turned into a sleep over paradise. Most of the floor is covered in pillows and blankets. Except for a spot in the middle where a music box, toys and picture books are laid out for them to entertain themselves with. But most importantly…  
“Wilby!” Emma exclaims as she kneels down to greet the family dog. Wilby is a smart and loyal pet.  
The nine year old dog immediately shows of her belly to let Emma and the other children pet him, which they do eagerly.  
After a bit Emma and her friends sit themselves down in the center of the room and help the boys out of their vests, which Emma carefully lays on her bed. The first few minutes they play around with the music box, play with Wilby until the poor boy is exhausted, make up stories with the picture books and, in Emma’s case, think of the best way to convince the adults to let her not only go get Roland but also leave them be for the rest of the night.  
Because they can’t really talk freely if Donna and Vincent are keeping an eye on them.  
When Wilby dozes off Emma decides that Roland has spent enough time at the party.  
She makes sure to look progressively more sad while the girls start doing each other’s hair and the boys start messing around with the blocks and dolls. Pretty soon she can see that the poor, unsuspecting staff members are exchanging worried looks.  
Emma gets up, undoes the braids Melody made and walks over to them, making sure she looks nervous.  
“Miss Donna, Mr. Vincent… Can I go get my brother now please?” she asks softly, looking up at them shyly, her hands behind her back. This look doesn’t work with her family anymore. But it still had power over most of the staff.

“Well…” She can see that Donna wants to say yes.   
“I won’t disturb anyone. I’ll be back really soon, promise!” she pleads. She’s hoping she can convince Pinocchio to join them too. The woodworker’s son is often trusted to look after the young royals so if she brings him upstairs then it won’t be hard to convince Donna and Vincent to leave them and join the staff in the kitchens for the staff’s party. Emma heard about those from Ingrid, a maid from the kitchen. She often helps her hide from the dwarves when she’s almost caught after a prank and she always has something delicious for her to try.  
Anyway, apparently the staff members all look forward to big events like these since most of them pretty much have the night off once the dancing starts. They rotate shifts for the jobs that need to be done so they all get to join in on the fun at some point in the evening. Even Simon hurries downstairs once the last of the guests are announced.

Donna and Vincent are probably hoping the children will go to bed soon so they can take their leave. So if their favorite sitter happens to be available, they’ll probably jump at the chance to leave sooner.  
Donna bites her lip nervously for a moment and looks over the children in the room. All have momentarily paused their activities to look at what Emma is doing, but nothing seems to indicate they are about to become too much for one person to handle…  
“Well okay,” she decides before turning to her colleague. “Vincent watch the others, I’ll make sure she gets to the ballroom and back without detours,” she whispers as she and Emma start leaving. Once the door closes behind them Emma smirks at the maid. “You want to take a look at the dresses right?” she guesses.  
“They are very pretty,” Donna admits.  
“I’d let you try one of mine if they’d fit… Maybe I can get mom to let you borrow one of hers for the next ball. Who knows? You might meet your prince?” Emma suggests.  
Donna laughs. “Not every commoner is like Queen Ella. Some of us are fine falling in love with stable boys.” Emma thinks about that for a minute.  
“Like Gregory?” she asks, referring to the man who is teaching her how to take care of Mira. He is a nice, hardworking man with a lot of patience. She likes him.  
Donna blushes and Emma’s eyes widen.  
“You like Gregory!?” she whisper-yells. Donna hushes her.  
“He doesn’t know?” the princess continues confused.  
“Your highness-” Donna starts urgently, but she’s interrupted by Emma’s stern gaze.  
“Is my mother. I’m Emma. At least when no one else is around,” she insists.  
Donna smiles at the little princesses determined glare.  
“Alright, Emma. I just haven’t had the chance to tell him.” That of course isn’t the whole reason. But she isn’t even going to try to explain the complicated workings that come with falling in love and fearing rejection to a six year old girl.  
“That’s just an excuse,” Emma deduces quickly. Donna raises her brow at the young girl.  
“And I’ll prove it. I’ll bring Pinocchio to babysit, then you can find Gregory and tell him how you feel.” Donna is taken aback. Does she mean it? Or is it just a trick to prove that she’ll come up with another excuse?  
“What if he doesn’t feel the same?” she asks, feeling really pathetic. Here she is. Asking a six year old, crown princess, who probably has a perfect happy ending with her true love waiting in the wings, for love advice.  
“Then you know and you can stop wasting your time and find your real true love,” Emma states simply. Donna chuckles at her naïveté.  
“More importantly, what if he does feel the same way?” That gives Donna pause. What if he does…  
“You think about that while I get my brother and Pinocchio,” the girl suggests as she enters the ballroom from a side entrance.  
They avoided the main staircase because she doesn’t want to draw too much attention to herself.

* * *

When she walks in she tries not to get distracted by the swaying figures and gorgeous dresses.  
She really wants to take a good look around, but she promised to be quick.  
Soon she spots Roland, he is surrounded by a group of girls around his age in dresses of various pastel colors.  
That’s weird. Hadn’t he said that there weren’t many kids for him to talk with?  
Maybe these girls weren’t at the last dance…  
Emma hesitates a moment, she doesn’t want to intrude if he’s having fun after all. But just when she’s about to look for Pinocchio instead, she catches Roland’s eye. From that one look it’s clear he is not enjoying himself, at all. Which means little sister Emma has to come to the rescue after all.  
Emma walks over to him, minding her poise and manners, just in case someone pays attention to her. Right now, she is representing the kingdom and so she has to be at her best behavior.  
Soon she is close enough that she can hear the conversation.  
“You are so nice Prince Roland,” a girl in a purple dress says in a very polite and flattering tone. But Emma doesn’t like the way it sounds. Not quite a lie, but it lacks the warmth it would have if it was genuine. Not to mention she has Roland’s title wrong. Regina might still be called queen, but Roland never obtained the title of Prince. Robin was made a lord a few years after his outlaw status was revoked. She wouldn’t care, if her surrogate brother hadn’t made it clear in the past that he hates being called by any kind of title. From the looks of it, he was tired of telling these girls though.  
“Have you grown taller since the last time we met?” another, dressed in blue, wonders. Again sounding wrong. Like she practiced it.  
“Excuse me ladies,” Emma says softly, as polite as she can. The girls turn around, most looking slightly annoyed.  
“Emma!” Roland exclaims. Sounding as if he hadn’t seen her enter the room.  
“Apologies your highness, but shouldn’t you be in bed?” A blond girl in pink, says in a tone that should be polite but, once again, isn’t really. She hates this false tone more than she dislikes it when people lie.  
“Not quite lady…” she replies, honestly polite, pausing as she waits for the girls name. She knows she isn’t a princess, she would’ve seen her before if she was. So lady was the right way to address her.  
“Margarete,” the girl responds.  
“Pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Emma bows respectfully for the girl who, like her friends, had yet to actually greet her. One, a girl with brown curls, freckles under her dark eyes and a lovely yellow dress, who so far kept to the background, seems to be the only exception and bows back.  
Emma smiles back at her, liking this one more than the others.  
“The reason why I’m here,” she continues turning her attention to Roland.  
“is to find our favorite story teller. Would you mind helping me find him Roland?” she smiles sweetly at him and he nods eagerly.  
“If he is going to tell stories, I want in,” he insists, seamlessly picking up on the ruse for the night.  
“Of course,” she tells him, taking his hand and walking alongside him, looking for the oldest of their friends.

* * *

When they see Pinocchio, he too has a little group of his peers around him. In his case both boys and girls. And Emma doesn’t think for a second that they are interrupting a pleasant evening this time.  
Pinocchio is trying to keep his posture straight and his smile on, but Emma knows his tells better than anybody’s. He isn’t having a good time at all.  
Emma looks at Roland and after a short moment of hesitation he lets her go. Emma has that look on her that spells trouble, but for those types, he won’t even try to change her mind.  
Emma approaches the group and, once again, hears snippets of conversation.  
“How do you sleep in those lice infested beds?” one boy asks, a mean laugh in his voice.  
“They’re not… I mean, we don’t have lice…” he tries to explain awkwardly.  
“Of course, in your case it would be woodworm right?” another boy jokes, to the amusement of the group and the fury of the young princess.  
“Wait, wait. Serious question,” one girl calls out trough giggles, silencing the group.  
“Do you freak out every time someone starts a fire?” she jokes, making everyone laugh once more.  
“No more than anyone else. We aren’t any more fireproof than a wooden block after all,” Emma inserts herself in the conversation with a pleasant voice. The preteens turn around and, upon recognizing her, immediately bow for the crown princess.  
“It’s such an honor to meet you your highness,” a blond boy, the leader of the group it seems, says politely. He is being genuine in his respect towards the crown, but that is too little too late.  
“The pleasure is all mine,” Emma smiles warmly before approaching Pinocchio and giving him a hug.  
“I’m so glad I found you. Will you come tell us one of your stories?” she asks sweetly.  
The preteen looks down at her in surprise and then smiles fondly.  
“Of course Em.” He doesn’t have any ulterior motives to using an abbreviation of her name without any fanfare or titles. It’s just how he gets to greet his friends.  
Still the group around him suddenly realizes that they have been teasing a close personal friend of the crown princess of the wealthiest kingdom in the enchanted forest at every ball he has attended.  
Their parents will be furious if they ever find out.  
“Thank you!” she beams.  
“Oh. Before I forget,” she exclaims turning to the group.  
“See the lady in the blue dress looking at the banquet?” she points to Ella, who is indeed studying the spread of food that is laid out to the side of the ballroom.  
“That’s Queen Ella. I’m pretty sure she came in with Gus, but when I talked to her earlier he wasn’t anywhere to be seen. So just so you know, he might be running around somewhere. Do not step on him,” she stresses her words to convey their importance.  
“He might just be in the kitchen, but still. Auntie Ella,” Normally she wouldn’t call her best friend’s mother that in public, but she really wants to drive home how connected she is. “would never recover should something happen to him.” The teens nod, hanging onto every word she says. One girl is brave enough to ask the question they all have. “Who is Gus?”  
Emma smiles sweetly. “Her pet mouse of course.” And with that she takes Pinocchio’s hand and leaves.  
“But… Doesn’t Gus turn into a person, if he comes to these events? I thought he got that ability as a reward for helping your mother and king Thomas find queen Ella and all his other selfless acts to help her?” Pinocchio asks. Emma grins.  
“They don’t know that. Now they’ll be too afraid to move from their spot, all night.”  
Pinocchio’s eyes widen. Part of him wants to tell her that it wasn’t nice or right. Still she didn’t do it for any selfish reasons. She did it to support him. So he supposes it wasn’t that bad.  
Maybe he should ask Jiminy about this later. The wise cricket is always willing to lend an ear and some advice. Even if Jiminy didn’t know, he had a few other people in his life he could ask about this.  
He wasn’t going to bother any of them tonight though. For now, he’ll focus on the good intention behind the gesture and less on the morality of the action as a whole.

* * *

They join Donna at the exit and walk back.  
“Why were those girls bothering you?” Emma asks Roland. The boy shrugs.  
“Last time I was just standing with my parents, minding my own business. I was kind of enjoying the music, the food and watching everyone. When they left me for a moment to dance, I saw Margaret’s parents talk to her and push her in my direction. I think it’s the same for most of them,” Roland explains, sounding annoyed.  
“So their parents made them be friends with you? Why?” Emma asks confused.  
“I think it’s because Roland is the closest their daughters can get to being part of your family Em,” Pinocchio tells her. Emma frowns in confusion.  
“You mean like how auntie Ella’s stepmother wanted one of her daughters to marry king Thomas even if they didn’t love him?” Emma asks.  
“To some people status and riches is more important than love your highness,” Donna explains, smirking when Emma shoots her a glare at the formal title.  
Emma sighs annoyed. She is starting to wonder if going to a ball would be fun if there would be people acting like that just because of who her parents are. She doesn’t have much time to think about that however, as they arrive at their destination.  
“Look who I found?” Emma announces as she reenters her room. Everyone looks up from what they were doing and faces all around just light up.  
“Pinocchio!” they cheer as they get up and tackle their story teller in a group hug.  
“I’m here too,” Roland chuckles. Emma gives him a playful push.  
Then she turns to Vincent and Donna.  
“If you want you can go. Pinocchio will look after us,” she tells them. Vincent looks hesitantly to Donna who, after a moment’s hesitation, gets a resolved expression and nods. Emma smiles brightly, hoping this means that she decided to chase her happy ending.  
“Don’t get in trouble then, or it’ll be us who get the blame,” Vincent insists, mainly looking to the two older boys.  
“What kind of trouble can we get into? Queen Regina has locked all the dangerous rooms with magic right?” Emma offers. The two servants consider this for a moment and nod in confirmation. All the children have to do to not get them in trouble, was avoid the ballroom.  
“Plus, Sir Grumpy made it clear that he and the other dwarves will patrol the halls,” Roland ads.  
With that last assurance the two hurry to the kitchens to join the party there.  
Emma and Roland turn to their friends.  
“Well, let the fun begin!” Roland announces, prompting the others to cheer.

* * *

[Cheeky Princess](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/51558553)


	14. II Adventures of the heirs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the children explore the secrets of their realm and the castle Emma unknowingly awakens a secret from within herself.

**Princess Emma**

**III Princess Emma's entourage**

**II Adventures of the heirs**

The children gather around in a circle.  
“This is the first time we’ve all been together at the same time since… Ever I think,” Roland muses.  
“Exactly. So we better take this chance to catch everyone up on Mysterious Politics,” Melody declares eagerly. Whenever their parents don’t want to answer any questions, they tell them they don’t need to worry about ‘boring politics’ just yet. Over time they gathered enough snippets of conversations to get a picture of one issue or another. And when that picture seems interesting it gets dubbed ‘Mysterious politics’. It’s hard to keep up with each other’s discoveries though, especially since they live so far apart and see each other so rarely.  
It’ll be worth it to learn to read and write, just to make it easier to catch up.  
Sometimes they managed to sneak into their parents’ counseling rooms and use the enchanted mirrors to talk to each other. Amin was kind enough to turn a blind eye to these late night conversations and even helped coordinating them.  
“I’ll start,” the half mermaid continues.  
“I overheard my mom and dad talk about a place called Agrabah. They said it was ‘still missing’.” The children look at each other with wide eyes.  
“I think… My parents showed me a map of the realm a while ago and helped me name all the kingdoms. Agrabah came up briefly. It’s supposedly a decent sized kingdom in the desert in the east,” Alexandra tells the others.  
“How does a kingdom go missing?” James asks the older kids nervously. Everyone looks to Roland and Pinocchio, who are just as in the dark as anyone.  
“Dark magic, probably,” is all Pinocchio can come up with.  
“Well I hope they find it soon then. Those poor people must be scared,” Emma frowns, not understanding what would drive someone to make an entire kingdom vanish, or whatever it was that really happened.  
“Sure they will. All they need is a hero!” Roland assures her as he stands up and mimics wielding a sword. Emma smiles up at him. Roland is eager to go on grand adventures and find his place in the world as his father had. She has no doubt that he’ll do great things when he’s grown.  
“This reminds me,” she gasps as she recalls the story she wanted to share.  
“I overheard my parents talk about a kingdom named Arendele. Apparently it’s been frozen solid.  
The houses, the castle, the trees, even the people.”  
“Now that’s a true love’s kiss kind of problem if there ever was one,” Melody says wisely.  
“I don’t know… Maybe there’s a specific counter spell on it? Or maybe it wears off on it’s own?” Adam suggests.  
“Maybe you have to slay a monster! Or an evil wizard!” Philip offers enthusiastically.  
“Or maybe you could ask them to undo the spell?” Emma counters, not a big fan of jumping to the most violent solution first. Just because no one tells her anything doesn’t mean she doesn’t know anything. From overhearing conversations she and Roland figured out that Regina once was a villain, and that she redeemed herself years ago. It makes them both more sympathetic towards the monsters and villains in their games of make belief.  
“You always say that, you’re no fun!” Philip pouts.  
“Well your solution to every problem is kill it,” she defends herself. Everyone chuckles at the accuracy of that statement. When Pinocchio tells a story and the hero faces any obstacle, Philip usually shouted out something like ‘will he kill it?’. For some reason, Philip Jr. seams to think that a hero ought to kill an opponent in order to be truly noble. Maybe it’s because he’s the shortest among everyone and likes the idea of defeating something that is stronger than him. Who knows?  
“Well that being said…” Alexandra cuts in before the conversation can turn into a fight.  
“I know it isn’t as big as an entire kingdom getting cursed, but I found out what’s in my mother’s locked room.” Everyone goes death quiet at that. They’d all seen the room and every single one of them had tried and failed to open it on multiple occasions. It’s the first mystery they’d found and they are all excited to find out what exactly hid behind those doors all this time.  
“There’s a sleeping man.”  
A few moments pass and then James groans. “Now I have more questions!”  
Everyone nods in agreement. “Isn’t this how it’s supposed to go? One mystery leading to another?” Alexandra frowns, not understanding why everyone looks so disappointed.  
“So your mother is hiding a man, who’s under a sleeping curse?” Roland verifies.  
“I think she’s keeping him safe until his true love comes for him,” Alexandra elaborates, unwilling to even entertain the thought of her mother holding someone hostage like that.  
“I suppose that makes sense,” Melody sighs.  
“What’s taking his true love so long?” Philip objects. The room has been there ever since any of them can remember.  
“I’m sure they’re looking,” Pinocchio assures the boy. “Maybe they are trapped in a labyrinth, or turned into something really small which makes traveling harder,” he offers and Emma can see the story forming in his mind.  
Pinocchio mainly likes mysteries because they give him inspiration for new stories.  
“Are we going to go out and explore yet?” James asks, getting fidgety.  
This is received by many excited shouts of approval. With all the adults in either the ballroom or the kitchen, they had pretty much the entire castle to themselves.  
“Alright!” Emma exclaims, getting everyone to settle down.  
“We are going to avoid the main ground floor, since the dwarves will be patrolling the halls to turn back any lost guests. But that gives us still a lot of castle to explore. There are a few locked rooms, but other than that…”  
“Wait!” Philip exclaimed. “Locked rooms?” he repeated.  
“Yeah, like Roland said. Regina locked all the dangerous rooms with magic. The armory, treasury. Stuff like that,” Emma replies slowly.  
“What kind of magic?” he presses. Emma starts to see where this is going and glances at Roland and Pinocchio. They look pretty hesitant. Maybe she shouldn’t encourage this…  
“Oh, maybe there’s a passport!” Alexandra suggests.  
“Or a puzzle to solve!” Adam exclaims.  
Emma can feel herself giving into the excitement, but she still feels unsure.  
“The dwarves are sure to check on those rooms on their patrols though…” she tries weakly.  
“Then we don’t get caught!” James waves her off.  
“Besides, that Grumpy totally has a soft spot for you. One sad face and he’ll let us of the hook,” Melody assures her.  
“Grumpy doesn’t work that way Melody. The more he likes you, the tougher he is on you. At least I think that’s why he watches me like a hawk,” she mutters.  
“Can’t we just, set up a little prank, jump on some beds and listen to stories until we fall asleep?” Roland suggests, already envisioning the scolding he’ll get if they are caught. His mother is great, but she can be very scary when she’s mad.  
“That does sound fun too…” Adam agrees slowly.  
“Tell you what, we’ll set up the prank and explore some of the castle, and if there’s still time for us to try to get into a room and get back before the king and queen come to check on us, then we go?” Pinocchio suggests. The kids look at each other and nod. That sounds fair enough.

Emma gets up and walks over to her bedside table to take something out.  
“This,” She held up a little box. “Is going to be the best prank yet. Special thanks to our tinkerer.”  
Everyone looked to Pinocchio who makes a bow.  
“I call it the morning timer. You set the mechanism for how long you want to sleep and when the time is up it plays music,” he explains proudly. His father is selling them by the dozen and praises him every time a customer asks for one.  
“Except this one isn’t very musical,” Emma grins mischievously.  
“Who are we pranking?” James asks curiously.  
“Who else? My dearest seven uncles of course,” Emma grins.  
“At six in the morning tomorrow, the guardians of the realm will get a big surprise.”  
The children laugh at that.  
“Follow me.” She beckons her friends to follow her. No sooner have they gotten up or Wilby perks up with a huff.  
“Oh, no,” James sighs.  
They probably should’ve known that the family dog wouldn’t let them leave the room without incident.  
“Don’t worry Wilby. You take a nap, we’ll be just outside,” Emma tries. The dog is not impressed.  
“You wanna go for a walk? Do you? Do you?” Alexandra says in a high, excited voice. Wilby’s head perks up and she starts wagging her tail. Jumping in excitement.  
“That’s brilliant Alex!” Roland praises in awe. Alexandra shrugs humbly.  
“Dogs always want to go for a walk,” she explains casually.  
Now with the dog in tow Emma carefully opens the door.  
No guards in sight. Most are at the party of course, as Regina put up a barrier around the castle that keeps anyone without an invitation from passing through. It‘s part of the reason why Roland and his family arrived earlier.  
Still you never know if one might decide to make a quick round to check if everything was peaceful. It’s part of what makes sneaking out late so fun.  
Emma discovered her love for mischief making at her last birthday party when Roland and Regina helped her hide from the dwarves who were tasked with retrieving her for dinner. The look on their faces when they entered, ready to tell her parents that she was nowhere to be found only for her to sit at the table with a perfectly innocent expression was the best.  
Ever since she tries to find new creative ways to prank the dwarves and on occasion staff members.  
Always in good fun though.  
The group sneaks trough the hallways, following Emma and Roland. Emma leads them into the room just a bit down the hall from hers. The royal bedchambers, or as she called it, her parents’s room.  
“Grown up beds are always so big!” James whisper yells as he, his brother and Philip rush forward to jump on the bed followed by Wilby. The loyal creature too well trained to get on the bed just jumps along excitedly and jumps along.  
Emma, Melody and Alexandra take a look at the vanity first and try on some of her mother’s jewelry and make up. Roland and Pinocchio meanwhile discover one of her father’s swords resting in a stand next to the door and each try to wield it, finding it to be a lot heavier than it looks when the knights use it.  
“Careful with that,” Emma warns when she looks back and sees Roland struggling to lift the sword.  
Her cheeks are fiery red with blush and her lips covered in a thick layer of pink lipstick.  
Alexandra and Melody look around to see the two boys working together to put the sword back, each having done their eyes as best as they could manage.  
“Boys and their swords,” Alexandra mutters disapprovingly, then they take a good look at one another and start giggling. They realize they don’t look any less ridiculous in their attempt to look more adult.  
“Race you to the bed!” Melody exclaims, embracing her childhood once more, as she takes a head start. Alexandra grabs Emma’s hand and pulls her along to join their friends.  
Soon they all collapse on the bed in a giggling mess. Roland and Pinocchio stand at the side of the bed looking at them with amused smiles.  
“Sleepy already?” Pinocchio asks, slightly hopeful.  
“No!” Emma protests shooting up. Eager to get on with the adventure.  
Together they put everything back in order and remake the bed. Then the girls quickly clean off their faces before leaving for the next stop on their journey.  
“Can we go to the kitchen for more ice cream?” Alexandra wonders.  
“No. Ingrid won’t be the only one there,” Emma whispers. “The staff is having a dance of their own.”  
Alexandra sighs in disappointment. “I wish miss Ingrid would share her recipe with our cooks.”  
Emma smiles, a little proud of her favorite staff member and her unique talents. Though she wouldn’t begrudge her friends the ability to have the delicious dessert at their homes.  
Ingrid is insistent however to keep her secrets close to her heart. Even Emma doesn’t get any clues when it comes to what is in the delicious frozen desert, or how she keeps it frozen for that matter.  
After a few stairs and hallways they finally arrive at the sleeping quarters the dwarves use whenever they visit. “Let’s split up and find the best hiding place,” Emma instructs.  
They spread out and look behind bedside tables and underneath beds for any place they can put the device that would be easily overlooked by a groggy dwarf.  
“Found it!” Adam exclaims as he points at a hole in the floorboards just big enough to maneuver the device into if they are careful.  
“Brilliant, it’ll sound really creepy this way too!” Emma praises the beaming prince.  
She looks at the clock in concentration, trying to figure out how long until the device should go of.  
“Ten hours,” Roland and Pinocchio say in near unison. Emma smiles at them gratefully.  
She is doing okay in her classes, but she only just started learning about numbers and reading the clock hasn’t even been brought up yet.  
She has some grasp of hours and minutes, since her parents used the clocks in the castle many times to encourage her to be patient, but it doesn’t come as second nature like it does for grown up kids and adults yet.  
She winds up the timer, until the little hand points at ten and carefully lowers it through the hole, pushing it just out of sight from anyone who’d look directly into it.  
“How long do you think it’ll take them before they find it?” James chuckles as they sneak trough the hallways once more.  
“They won’t, it’s too well hidden,” Adam boasts, very proud of himself.  
“I don’t know. Doc is very smart, Grumpy is very thorough and Dopey is very good at hide and seek,” Emma offers. Roland nods in agreement.  
“I still say they won’t find it,” Adam insists.  
“I say they find it in forty minutes,” Melody counters.  
“I’ll give them thirty,” Roland offers.  
“Ten!” Emma buts in. They all look at her. “What? I have faith in my uncles.”  
They all laugh softly as they think of how the dwarfs will react in the morning.  
“So how about those locked rooms…” James presses.  
“Well the armory is a big no. We’d have to get past either the party or the kitchen to get there.  
The treasury is currently sealed with blood magic, so only Regina herself can even begin to undo that spell. Which pretty much leaves…” she comes to a stop in front of an elegant wooden door.  
“The library?” Alexandra frowns, she’s been there before, noting interesting.  
“The study in the library. Regina’s study. She keeps a stock of emergency potions and ingredients along with some of her older spell books in there,” Emma explains as she opens the door and lets the others in.  
Pinocchio starts getting nervous. They weren’t supposed to make it this far. Then again, if the door is locked with magic, there’s no reason to belief that they’ll manage to open it.  
He knows that as the oldest he should be responsible. He can see that while Roland gets increasingly anxious at the prospect of angering his mother, the younger boy is still too enthralled by the adventure aspect to really say anything. People are trusting him to watch over them. To be the groups conscious when needed. Still he doesn’t want to put a stop to their search for adventure. If any of them are to ever become heroes of any kind, they’ll need to start somewhere right?  
He nods to himself, seeking comfort in the impossibility of the younger children’s plan.  
They’ll be back in Emma’s room listening to his stories in no time.  
Wilby sniffs at the door and lets out a soft whine. Clearly he doesn’t trust the smells coming from the other side.  
Philip ignores the canine’s instincts and starts pulling on the door with all his might.  
“Well, it’s definitely locked,” he concludes.  
Emma rolls her eyes. Wondering why he insists on questioning everything she says.  
“I can’t find a hidden lever,” Adam concludes after searching both the wall and the door for a few moments.  
“Maybe a password will work?” Alexandra suggests. “Sesame open thee!”  
Nothing happens and Alexandra lets out a disappointed sigh.  
“Maybe if we ask nicely,” Philip suggests, mockingly imitating Emma’s voice.  
Emma frowns and walks over to the door determined. Now really hoping this is the answer, just so she can rub it in Philip’s face for the rest of their lives.  
She gently places her hand on the lock and closes her eyes in concentration.  
“Please, please, please open,” she whispers earnestly. To everyone’s amazement a ‘click’ echoes trough the empty library. Emma pulls on the handle and the door opens.  
“What now?” Melody whispers. None of them know the answer. They honestly didn’t expect they’d get this far.  
“We look around, pray we can close the door again and go to bed?” Roland suggests.  
They all nod. It would be a shame if they didn’t at least peak inside.  
The study is dusty, that’s the first thing that stands out. There’s a dark wooden desk in the middle. One wall is a closet with closed doors that presumably holds the potions and ingredients. The other is completely taken by bookshelves. It doesn’t look like any of the books on them have been touched in ages. Emma feels her curiosity growing.  
“Let’s go,” James sighs bored, much to the relief of the eldest boys.  
The others leave disappointed, but Emma lingers a bit longer. Her eyes dancing over the countless books with secrets waiting to be discovered. She always felt fascinated by Regina’s magic but has been too shy to ask about it. And here laid all the answers to all her questions… Sure she couldn’t read them yet, but still…  
“Em?” Pinocchio’s voice calls her back to the present.  
“Coming!” she assures him. She closes the door, lays her hand against the lock and, holding the terrifying thought that Regina might find out they were in here in the back of her mind, whispers softly: “Please, please, please close.” Another ‘click’. Pinocchio tests the door and finds that it is once more locked.  
Emma turns to Philip with a smug grin. “You can’t ever make fun of me for wanting to do the nice thing ever again,” she tells him. Philip pouts for a moment, but then sighs and nods.  
“You’re right,” he admits. Which was the best thing about him. He can be very set on something, but when you prove him wrong, he’ll admit defeat.  
They make their way back to Emma’s bedroom to get changed and listen to Pinocchio’s stories. When Snow and David stop by the nursery on their way to bed they find eight children completely tuckered out, lying on the floor in a circle formation.  
They smile at the adorable sight and gently close the door.

* * *

[gifted](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/51776692)


	15. III Pushing boundaries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just because Emma is a princess doesn't mean she isn't at risk of getting in trouble for sneaking out at night.  
A scolding from her parents is the least of her worries though. Luckily her godmother is there to help.

**Princess Emma**

**III Princess Emma's entourage**

**III Pushing Boundaries**

In the morning the royal children are woken up and invited to a big breakfast.  
Pinocchio and his father sadly have to decline the invitation. They have to leave soon if they want to be back in time to open their shop.  
The children tackle Pinocchio in a big group hug, the adults laugh fondly at the display of affection. Happy their children are raised to appreciate people of all walks of life.  
There are all kinds of delicious foods to eat from and the children dig in eagerly.  
Though two of the group are remarkably quiet. A fact that doesn’t go unnoticed by Regina and Robin.  
Snow and David probably would notice too, if the other kings and queens didn’t take up all of their attention at the moment.  
Emma and Roland can feel the inquisitive stares and they both know that they’ll be questioned… They of course had agreed on what they would tell them, but still, it was unnerving. They didn’t know how long they would be able to handle this. They already wish they hadn’t agreed to sneak out in the first place.  
“Emma!” Grumpy’s voice echoes trough the hallways.  
He storms into the diningroom and is followed by his brothers, all looking varying degrees of angry. Except for Happy, he’s never angry with Emma’s jokes. It’s just not in his nature.  
“Morning Grumpy,” she says sweetly.  
“Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy, Dopey, Doc. Are you joining us for breakfast today?”  
“Oh no sister, you know what you did!” Grumpy insists.  
“Emma?” her father says slowly. She knows her parents secretly enjoy her pranks, though they try to teach her to reign herself in. And she does get in trouble over them even if her parents think it’s funny.  
“I just woke them up a little early with a little test,” she assures them innocently.“How quick do the guardians of the realm find the source of a treat?”  
Her mother raises her eyebrows, always the strongest defender of her uncles’ pride.  
“How did you test it?”  
“With this!” Grumpy puts the device on the table. To Emma’s relief it’s still intact. Pinocchio had worked hard on it.  
“We nearly got a heart attack. Thought some kind of evil sorceress managed to sneak into the castle,” the oldest of the brothers explained.  
“How long did it take you?” Adam wonders.  
“Forty minutes!” Grumpy scowls. Emma slumps back as Melody cheers.  
“Did you take bets on this or something?” the angry dwarf realizes exasperatedly.  
“Yes! And I got it right!” Melody cheers.  
“Let me guess,” he turns to Emma, “You wanted us to take longer?”  
“No! Emma said you’d need ten minutes,” James argues.  
Grumpy’s expression softens at that. “Really?” he asks surprised.  
Emma shrugged. “Maybe I made it too hard. I mean I don’t know how I even expected you to find it under the floorboards.”  
“Well… Technically it took us a good while to find the right tools to open up the floor and put it back again. Doc here,” he pulled his bespectacled brother closer, “Figured it was under the floor after seven, then we found the hole you’d used to get it there around the ten minute mark.”  
Emma beams at him, happy that she hadn’t oversold them after all.  
Thoroughly flattered by Emma’s high expectations the dwarves forgive her. They each take turns to ruffle her hair before they go on their morning patrol. Apparently they already had their breakfast to cool Grumpy down before he went to confront the crown princess. Which was much appreciated considering she was still fast asleep when the alarm went off initially.  
The children’s giggles however die out as they notice their parents are looking at them disapprovingly.  
“When did you put this device in place?” Robin asks, eyes searching his son’s face for any tells of a lie.  
“Well… Before bedtime?”  
“But after you were sent upstairs?” Queen Ariel elaborates. The children nod sheepishly.  
“You kids were supposed to stay in Emma’s room,” queen Abigail tells them, specifically staring down her sons.  
“But mom,” the boys protest, silenced by her ‘mom stare’.  
“What if something bad had happened while we thought you were safe and sound in your rooms?”  
King Thomas argues.  
“Auntie Ella was supposed to stay in her room when you two met right?” Emma objects. The children didn’t know the stories of their parents in detail yet, but they got the general course of events. Enough to know that most of their parents did a few things their parents didn’t want them to do in order to get their happy ending.  
“Mom, you weren’t supposed to save a human, let alone marry him,” Melody adds, jumping on the loophole Emma had found in their parent’s reasoning. Her parents glance at each other and then at the other adults for help, but no one offers a counter argument.  
“And you two,” Roland speaks up, pointing at queen Abigail and king David. “Were supposed to marry each other, but you didn’t.”  
Turning bright red the two monarchs in question sputtered their protest.  
Snow and Frederic couldn’t quite hold their laughter at their spouses embarrassment.  
“Mom, I know you won’t tell me more until I’m older, but I’m sure princesses that get lost on their way to become queen do a lot of things they’re not supposed to,” Emma points out, effectively silencing her mother.  
“Be that as it may…” The children freeze, their small smiles of victory fading. When queen Regina uses that voice, play time is officially over.  
“They were all much older than you when they made those calls. You on the other hand should listen to your parents and not take advantage of the trust they put in you, and most of all the trust they put in Pinocchio to look after you. Do you realize the trouble you got him in? Not to mention the maid and footman who were entrusted with you in the first place.”  
“That was my fault!” Emma protests.  
“I discovered that Donna was in love with someone, but hadn’t told him. I insisted she should go to him right away.” Emma protests. “She convinced Vincent that it was alright for them to go because of me.”  
Emma looks at her parents with pleading eyes. “You can’t get mad at her because she went after her happy ending, please.”  
Snow and David sigh. “We aren’t going to get her in trouble.” Snow tells their daughter who sighs in relief.  
“But you young lady are.” David continues, making Emma look down with reddening cheeks.  
“As princess of this castle you had the responsibility to ensure your guests behaved themselves. I get that it seems exciting to go exploring, but you could’ve gotten someone hurt.” The king insists.  
“That goes for you too Roland,” Robin reprimands his son.  
“You were among the eldest there, and while Pinocchio might not feel comfortable telling his crown princess ‘no’, you should watch over her and make sure she and her friends stay safe.”  
“Yes father,” Roland whispers.  
The children are all quiet, dreading the punishment that is about to come their way.  
“If this is what happens when you’re all together without us around, then maybe we shouldn’t bring you kids to these kinds of occasions until you’re old enough to attend the ball,” queen Abigail suggests. The children look up and all together start pleading with their respective parents to not do that.  
“We were super careful not to make any messes!” Philip exclaims.  
“We weren’t even outside the room for that long!” Alexandra adds.  
“We almost never see each other as it is!” Emma exclaims, close to tears.  
The parents look at each other, clearly trying to decide whether the punishment fits the crime.  
“Well you have until Alexandra and Thomas’ anniversary ball to prove that you can behave yourselves I suppose,” queen Ariel suggests softly. The parents nod at that.  
“And consider the consequences of your actions next time before you act,” Regina adds sternly.  
The children nod eagerly. One prank wasn’t worth not having another sleep over like this for three more years. Breakfast continues in a pleasant mood, no one mentions the prank or any other adventures the young heirs of their kingdoms might’ve gotten up to the night before.

“Bye! See you all very soon!” Emma waves her friends of at the palace gate. Excited for next time already. Regina makes a gesture with her hand, taking down the barrier she had installed.  
“There, now the staff can do their shopping again without worrying about being locked out,” she informs the resident king and queen.  
“I’m of to take down the spells on the armory and the treasury,” she continues to her husband with a kiss. “I’ll be back soon.”  
“I’ll count the minutes,” he mutters against her lips before giving her another kiss and letting her go.  
Emma and Roland look at each other. Both their parents could be a bit too sappy at times.  
“If that’s true love then I’ll pass,” Emma mutters as she watches the smoke left behind by Regina’s disappearance subside.  
“Honey don’t say such things!” Snow exclaims shocked that her daughter would dismiss the most powerful force in their realm so casually. “You don’t know if you’ll like it until your older,” she assures her. She knows that not all happy endings depended on finding true love, but it’s much to soon for her daughter to turn her back on the possibility. Emma shrugs and hugs Robin in goodbye.  
“Where are you going young lady?” David asks suspicious that Emma wouldn’t wait the maybe five minutes it’ll take Regina to make her round so she could say goodbye to everyone.  
“The library,” she tells them. “Mr. Hendrik will be by in the afternoon for my lessons and I want to practice writing my name. Maybe if I can do it without an example by the time he arrives, we’ll skip the revision of last class and start something new.” David, Snow and Robin chuckle. Emma is really eager to be the first of her friends to be able to write a proper letter it seems.  
“I’ll come with you,” Roland suggests, only to be stopped by his father’s firm hand on his shoulder.  
“You are getting ready to leave young man. When your mother gets back we are going home.”  
“Why do we have to live so far from this castle?” Roland complains sadly.  
“Yeah! Can’t Roland and his family just live here? It would save everyone a lot of back and forth,” Emma suggests.  
“We’ve talked about that actually. But since the merger the kingdom is just too big to oversee from one castle,” Snow explains.  
Emma and Roland sigh disappointedly. Emma rushes over to her surrogate brother and hugs him tight. “Don’t take too long to visit. Once I know how to write I’ll send you a letter and you better send one back,” she warns.  
“Of course Em. See you soon. Study hard,” he whispers into her hair before letting go. Emma nods, a determined look in her eyes and takes off again.

Regina takes a little longer than expected to undo the spells since she runs into Belle at the armory. She just returned from visiting Rumpelstiltskin before leaving. They talk for a little while before Belle remembers she’s supposed to have brunch at her father’s palace.  
When Regina finally transports to the library she find herself somewhere in the fiction section. Clearly her conversation with Belle, which as usual included speculations on ways they could reintegrate the dark one, threw of her aim so to speak. It didn’t really matter. She soon found her way to the reading tables from where she could navigate towards her study, she’d rather not risk missing her mark again and end up on top of a bookcase. Just as she is about to leave the cover of the isle she hears a gasp and the sound of a chair falling. She carefully approaches the end of the isle and peaks around the corner.  
She can see Emma, standing by one of the tables. On the table she could see a piece of parchment, an ink well with a quill laying next to it. Seemingly dropped in the same action that had caused the chair now lying behind her goddaughter to fall. Emma is staring at a lit candle on the middle of the table in astonishment.  
Not taking her eyes off the candle, Emma picks up the chair and carefully puts it to the side. She blows out the flame. With a concentrated frown Emma raises her hand and whispers something to it. Without warning a pillar of blinding white light shoots up from the wick, causing the princess to jump back in surprise.  
The light calms down and leaves behind a perfectly innocent looking flame.  
“That’s impressive,” Regina complements, stepping out of the shadows.  
Emma looks up, fear still in her eyes.  
“I didn’t… I didn’t know,” she whispers. Regina walks over and hugs the girl tight.  
“I know you didn’t,” she whispers, understanding how frightening it must be to discover magic in such a way. When she used magic for the first time she was terrified of it too, for a little while at least. Before Rumpel seduced her with it’s power.  
“I was trying to study and suddenly the candle lit up.”  
“Wasn’t it going well?” she guesses. Emma shakes her head. “Writing is hard,” she whispers in frustration. “Magic went pretty well though,” Regina jokes.  
“But how!? Mommy and daddy don’t have magic do they?” Emma looks up at her godmother in confusion.  
“They don’t have to sweetheart. First, anyone can learn magic if they want. Some have more potential than others, but everyone can learn the basics. My mother didn’t get her gift from her parents. She was self-taught. And compared to the potential I just saw in you, she’s an amateur.” Her mother would definitely be furious if she ever heard her say something like this, but it was true. Six years old and magic just comes natural to her. And that was just the magic they know about. Who knows how many times she’s used it in the past without anyone really noticing?  
“Do you want me to teach you how to use it?” Regina asks her. Emma’s eyes widen in surprise and after a few seconds searching her godmother’s face, she nods eagerly. Both are unaware that between the bookshelves a figure is hiding, holding a small snack she prepared for the princess. The figure frowns in dismay. Emma wasn’t supposed to get a teacher…  
What if she does get accepted for who she is? Is it really possible for someone like them to have happiness with ordinary people?  
No, Emma was special and soon enough Regina will realize that she doesn’t understand her, not like Ingrid does, not like Elsa will. Sooner or later Regina will fail Emma. And Ingrid will be there waiting in the wings.  
“This is truly amazing Emma, wait until your parents hear this…” Regina starts already imagining the looks on their faces.  
“Can’t we wait a little?” Emma whispers softly. Ingrid smiles upon hearing the fear in her voice. Clearly she doesn’t trust her parents to accept her for who she is. Nor should she.  
“Why?” Regina asks baffled.  
“I just… I don’t even know what this,” she gestures to the candle, “is. How am I supposed to explain it to them and not make the worry?” She can’t bring herself to meet her new teacher’s eyes.  
“I just want to know I can control it before I tell them.”  
In truth she is scared. That flash flame was an accident, but then what else could she do by accident? What if next time someone got hurt? No. She won’t tell her parents until she is sure that she won’t accidently set the palace on fire when they ask her to show them something.  
“Please Regina? Please keep my secret? Just for a little while?” Regina sighs. She can’t not keep a secret. Not when it’s clearly so important to her.  
“Alright, but you better not wait too long. Once you get the hang of it it’s going to be tempting to use in everyday life and if they see it before you tell them we’ll both be in trouble.”  
Emma nods firmly. “I promise,” she swears. Regina nods and gives Emma a tight hug.  
“I’ll make up a reason for us to spend some more time alone together,” she promises.  
“Now you get back to your studies, I have to get back home.” Emma nods dutifully and turns back to her books after blowing out the candle.

After checking in on her study she takes a deep breath and transports to her husband’s side.  
She keeps her promise and doesn’t mention the encounter to anyone. She does however bring up something else that has been playing in her mind for a while now and was reinforced by Emma’s remark at breakfast.  
“Snow I was thinking… Maybe it’s time Emma hears my story,” she tells her stepdaughter before she gets in the carriage.  
“What? Why? Isn’t she a bit young?” Snow protests nervously.  
“She is a very clever girl and while your staff doesn’t fear me anymore, they do gossip.  
She’s bound to hear some things out of context. She probably has already. I’d rather she gets the full story from me before she gets the wrong picture.” No one can argue with that logic.  
“I’ll visit daily for a short walk until she’s heard everything and has asked all her questions. Is that alright with you?” Regina hopes this won’t rouse suspicion.  
“Well… She has classes after lunch so you’d have to stop by before noon…”  
Regina nods in agreement. “I will,” she looks at David to see if he has any objections.  
He takes a deep breath. “I suppose lunch will hold many questions about our side of the story in the near future,” he sighs, then he smiles at her and nods.  
“It’s very brave of you to do this Regina. I know that your past is something you didn’t wish to involve Emma in for many years,” he praises her. She waves him off, still not feeling comfortable about being complemented like this. Though one would think she’d gotten used to it after all these years.  
“With a husband like Robin, I was bound to get some courage somewhere down the line.” She smiles, glancing behind her where Robin sits in the carriage waiting for her and their son, he smiles back appreciatively.  
“I’m here!” Roland shouts as he approaches the carriage with his page manual and practice sword under his arm.  
“How is your training going?” David asks the young man, not having had the chance yet with everything else.  
“At this rate he’ll make squire before his tenth winter,” Robin proclaims proudly to the embarrassment of his son.  
“Sir Lancelot says I’m making good progress. Thank you for introducing me. He’s a great teacher.”  
“No problem Roland, I wouldn’t have suggested it if I didn’t think you could handle the training,”  
David assures him.  
“We really should get going if we want to get to the castle in time for lunch. See you tomorrow,” Regina tells them. David and Snow wave them off for a bit. Snow looks up at her husband with an inquisitive look. “What?” He asks innocently.  
“You want a boy don’t you?”  
“… Emma is perfect,” he assures her. The devoted admiration in his voice doesn’t leave room for any doubt.  
“But…”  
“I miss having a little one around. I know that anyone who’d see her would still consider Emma little, but she’s growing up so fast. It’s like only yesterday I could hold her in my hand. Now she’s getting hard to keep up with. Soon she’ll start learning to ride her horse and you know she’ll race off any chance she’ll get…”  
“I feel the same.” Charming looks down at his wife in surprise.  
“Really?” he asks hopefully.  
“Want to find out if it’ll be a son or not?” She pulls her pendant from under the neckline of her dress, holding it up, awaiting his response. “It doesn’t really matter. I’ll love them either way,” he assures her.  
“But you are curious all the same?” David nods sheepishly.  
Together they hold their breath as the pendant starts swinging.  
“Charming,” Snow beams.  
But they are interrupted by Simon.  
“Sir Williams is ready to give you his report.”  
David knows he’s grinning like an idiot but he doesn’t care. Just the thought of adding to their happiness was enough to make him want to sing.  
“Thank you Simon. Lead the way.”

“Good job Emma!” Regina praises as Emma successfully transports the apple from their basket to her waiting hand. She takes a bite. “And it still tastes good,” she informs her proudly. She never expected teaching Emma to be so rewarding. Rumpel always made it seem like a chore. Then again he didn’t love his student like a daughter. Every single one of Emma’s accomplishments fill Regina with joy. It is almost unbearable to keep it to herself. Still, it is necessary and not just because of her promise anymore. With Emma’s growth as a sorceress, old fears resurfaced in Regina’s heart.  
She tightens her grip on the perfect piece of fruit in her hand. She wouldn’t spoil this moment by thinking of that right now. She turns to Emma with a bright smile.  
“That means it wasn’t just good, it was perfect.”  
Emma blushes shyly. It’s been a month since Regina started teaching her magic and she is getting better at it with every class. She even kind of enjoys watching the soft white glow of her signature magic and the feeling that courses through her when she uses it.  
“So will you tell me another story now?” she asks, as she takes a seat on a fallen tree that lies along the path in the woods near her home.  
“I don’t think I have another story to tell honestly,” Regina admits, offering her student an apple and chuckling to herself when Emma declines.  
“Well, you’ve told me all the sad ones, obviously. And the one where you got your second chance which is only kind of sad. But what about the really happy stories? Like, how did you meet Robin? Was it love at first sight?” Regina chuckles at that. “Not exactly…”  
And, because in all honestly thinking back to those first days brought her so much joy, she started to talk. Emma, to her credit, is a great audience as long as the story interests her. She gasps at the right times and she asks all the right follow up questions. Regina can tell that this is her favorite story so far.  
“Wow…” Emma breaths as Regina’s story comes to an end. Then she giggles.  
“What’s so funny?” Regina wonders.  
“Well, mommy and daddy told me how they met. It looks like, in our family a sure fire way to know you’ve met your true love is if you first try to attack each other.”  
Regina feels her heart jump. It still amazes her sometimes how natural it comes to everyone around her to count her as part of the family now. Even those who remember the days when she was a far cry from stepmother of the year.  
“Well we’ll know once you find yours.” The young princess rolls her eyes. Quite certain that true love isn’t for her. Regina observes Emma as she experimentally makes little sparks of light appear from her fingertips.  
“Is today the day?” she asks. Emma hesitates a few moments and then nods.  
“I think I’m ready,” she tells her as she teleports the apple from her teacher’s hand back to her own. With a nervous smile she tosses it right back at Regina.  
“Alright. Do you want it to be just you and your parents…” Emma shakes her head firmly.  
“This is a family matter. We’re handling it as a family,” she says firmly. Though the nerves are clearly starting to get to her.  
And this is how, not much later. Emma is standing in front of her parents, Regina, Robin and Roland, feeling more nervous than she ever has in her entire life.  
They are standing in a cozy room with some bookshelves filled with storybooks, a fireplace warming the dark wooden interior. It was the room where, many years ago, Regina and Robin had shared drinks and stories while watching over her and Roland as they slept.  
David and Snow are pretty confused and worried. Has Emma heard something from Regina she isn’t ready for? Did something happen?  
“Mom, dad… I’ve been keeping a pretty big secret from you, please don’t be mad,” she whispers.  
The pair glance at Regina and then back at their daughter.  
“It’s okay darling, you’re telling us now, that’s what matters,” Snow assures her daughter.  
“No matter what it is, we’ll love you the same,” David promises.  
Emma takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, lifts her right hand in front of her and summons a small ball of magic. To anyone watching, it looks like she’s holding a tiny star. She can hear her parents gasp in awe and Roland whispers “No way,”.  
She closes her hand and snuffs out the light. When she opens her eyes, everyone looks very impressed. Though her mother’s eyes glisten a little.  
“Emma… That looked… It was…” she’s at a loss of words.  
“Magic, mommy. I have magic,” she tells her slowly.  
“I was going to say beautiful.” Emma beams at that. So far it doesn’t sound like anyone is mad with her, or scared.  
“Since when do you know?” her father asks gently.  
“Since the ball last month,” Emma admits.  
“I accidently turned on a candle and when I tried to do it on purpose it worked.” She decides it’s best not to share too many details on her nearly disastrous first attempt at magic.  
“I assume you didn’t just talk about your past with Emma then Regina?” Snow guesses.  
“She asked me to keep it secret until she was ready,” Regina admits. The women look at each other and smile a little sadly. They both knew that while Snow would’ve liked to know about this at once, no one could ask Regina to reveal a secret before she was ready.  
“Deep down I always knew,” David whispers. This to the surprise of everyone.  
“And you didn’t share why?” Robin asks.  
“Because I thought it was in my head. Remember the sleeping potion you put in our drinks the night you…” David hesitates. Will it scare Emma to hear what she’s been trough?  
“When Robin kidnapped me to exchange me for Roland who was being helped captured by your not real father,” Emma rattles off. Roland’s eyes widen. Even he doesn’t know that story.  
“She wanted to hear a really happy story for once,” Regina explains.  
David nods in understanding, clearly Emma has been able to handle much scarier stories from her step grandmother. He still wasn’t happy about the resurrection story.  
“Well, I had a nightmare that night. That Emma was being taken by king George. She looked older than she was at the time and was yelling at me to wake up and not let him take her. That was when I woke up and caught you in the nursery.” Everyone thinks this over.  
“You think Emma called out to you through your dream?” Snow verifies.  
“Is that something I can do?” Emma asks turning to Regina.  
“Well, in theory, yes. But I don’t specialize in that kind of magic.” Regina thinks for a moment and then turns to the Charmings. It’s no use waiting with this conversation until it’s just the adults. Emma is part of this decision and it’s her future.  
“I get it if you want to involve the council, but I feel like the less people that know about Emma’s gift the better. If the wrong people find out they might want to take advantage of it.” It was a fear that was always somewhere in the back of their mind. Someone using Emma’s destiny against her or to their own advantage.  
“Regina is right. If a bad guy wants to hurt us, it’s better if they don’t know. Never reveal your strengths at the start of the battle,” Emma recalls her father’s words of wisdom when he held a mock sword fight with Roland a few weeks ago.  
David can’t help but feel a little burst of pride at being quoted by his daughter. He didn’t even know she pays that much attention during his sparring sessions with Roland.  
“Indeed, but never forget Emma, magic is just a tool you have, not who you are.” Regina feels the need to make sure Emma knows this as much as she knows that she has a family to support her.  
Emma nods, this isn’t the first time Regina tells her this since they started practicing and it won’t be the last. She doesn’t mind, it’s comforting in a way. To know that Regina doesn’t think her magic is the most important thing about her even if it has been the source of a lot of bonding the past month.  
“You’re right Regina,” Snow whispers, already imagining the foul figures that would try to use her daughter for their own means if word gets out before Emma can protect herself.  
“Emma, are you okay with keeping this a secret? Until you’re older?” Snow asks her daughter carefully. She remembers how pressured she felt when she had to keep Regina’s secret. Emma is four years younger than she was at the time and this secret is a lot bigger. She will not make her daughter take on that responsibility if she can help it.  
“Yes…” Emma says slowly. “I won’t like not telling my friends, but I get that it’ll be dangerous if bad people know what I can do. Besides I’m not finished learning yet.” She turns to Regina with a big smile.  
“Can I come to your castle for lessons through the mirror from now on?” she asks enthusiastically.  
The family laughs at this strange shift from mature to mischievous .  
Emma smiles, happy that her family is happy, though she feels like her shoulders just became a little heavier.

* * *

[Hearts, Magic and Pizza](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/52012630)


	16. IV The dragon in the woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Emma and Alexandra go for a walk in the woods, flowers bloom as well as an unlikely new friendship.

**Princess Emma**

**III Princess Emma's entourage**

**IV The dragon in the woods**

February turns into march. Emma keeps getting better at magic and at using it in secret.  
When the time comes for Alexandra’s parents’ anniversary ball, she is relieved to have plenty of things to talk about with her friends without mentioning her magic lessons at all.  
With permission from both Regina and her parents she’s able to tell them all the stories she’d heard.  
She and Roland even do a dramatic reenactment of his parents’ first meeting.  
The others like it so much that soon they are acting out every love story from all of their parents, as best they can. They aren’t even tempted to go outside. By the time they finish they have barely enough energy left to listen to one story from Pinocchio before falling asleep.  
She does feel the need to tell someone though, someone who isn’t trying to protect her that is. She loves her family more than anything, but there’s something different about talking about it with them than it would be if she tells a friend.  
She knows she has to treat this with care though, Regina’s story of how she ever became the evil queen in the first place has thought her that much.  
She has given it a lot of thought and has picked out who she is going to tell and how.  
When Emma hears that Alexandra is going to come visit with her family later that month, she knows that it is now or never.  
After they arrive their parents let the girls go on a walk in the woods with Red and Shaw, the huntsman. Emma used to think they’re married, but when she mentioned it they laughed and said that hey ‘looked down that road and hurried back’.

* * *

After walking for a while Emma creates some distance between her chaperones and her and her best friend. She’s pretty nervous. She knows what she’s about to ask isn’t something to take lightly.  
A secret can be a heavy burden on any friendship. She doesn’t want this to ruin things between her and Alex. And for that reason she both does and doesn’t want to tell her.  
She takes a deep breath. She has made her decision, now Alex just has to make hers.  
She takes hold of Alexandra’s hand to get her attention. The young princess looks at her friend curiously. With a quick glance behind her to assure herself that they are far enough away to avoid being heard, Emma starts whispering: “I have something to show you, but you can’t tell anyone. Not even your parents. Is that okay?” she asks tentatively.  
Alexandra’s eyes widen and she starts to nod. Emma shakes her head firmly.  
“No, seriously. I hate having to keep it secret from almost everyone in my life. If you don’t think you can do it, don’t promise. This is a really hard secret to keep, but I need to get it of my chest. I don’t trust anyone else. Mel… doesn’t always think before she talks and the boys… Well… You know how they are.” Alexandra frowns as she thinks this over and then holds out her pinkie with a reassuring smile. “I swear.” With a relieved smile Emma makes the pact.  
She pulls Alexandra around the next corner, temporarily out of sight from their chaperones.  
“Look,” she whispers as she waves her now glowing hand over the ground, making a few young daffodils open their petals for the realm to see.  
Alexandra is left speechless, staring at the little plant for a moment, trying to process what this means. Emma pulls her back up and guides her ahead, not wanting to explain to Red and the huntsman what they were staring at.  
“So?” she presses nervously when they turn another corner.  
Alexandra blinks a few times and then looks at Emma with an excited grin.  
“Em. That was amazing! I get why you wanted to share with someone. If it was me, I’d want everyone to know. Don’t worry,” she assures her when she sees the brief look of panic cross Emma’s face. “No one will hear it from me.” Emma breathes a sigh of relief.  
“Thanks Alex,” she tells her sincerely. She knew telling Alexandra was a good call. Of all her friends she’s the most level headed. She can tell her about her lessons and know that she won’t smother her with worry or be over encouraging.  
“No problem. And hey, if I ever think of telling someone, I just have to remember you might go evil queen on me.” The girls giggle at the lame joke and then falter as they hear something move through the forest accompanied by a soft whine.  
“Sounds like some poor animal got injured…” Alexandra whispers concerned.  
“Regina explained some basic healing magic to me…” Emma whispers hesitantly. She never tried to actually heal something though.  
“Then you have to try,” Alex encourages her. “I’ll be right behind you.”   
Together they disappear between the trees before Red and William can catch up.

* * *

When the two chaperones turn the corner and see no sign of the girls they frown in worry. They saw them turn the corner both times so they couldn’t be that far ahead.  
“They were alone for maybe 2 minutes. What could have happened?” Shaw wonders.  
Red is scanning the path and soon spots some clues as to what happened. She points her partner to the spot where the earth is disturbed a little ahead of them. As they approach the spot she smiles in relief as she sees only two sets of tracks leading away. No sign of an ambush or struggle.  
“2 princesses went of the path,” she smirks.  
“Don’t they know? Little girls that wander of the path get caught by the big bad wolf,” the huntsman jokes. Red chuckles as she lets him take of her coat to transform. No sooner is she in wolf form or they hear a terrifying sound echo through the forest.  
Terrifying because, it sounds like a wounded animal growling defensively. Terrifying because it comes from the same direction the two princesses disappeared to.  
Suddenly the wolf isn’t playful anymore. She growls in warning to whatever animal just threatened her charge and she and Shaw take off.  
They find the two princesses in a clearing, not too far from the path, bushes and a trees having kept them from sight. Alexandra stands in relative safety at the tree line. Emma however stands a few feet ahead of her. Her hands in the air, her eyes glued to a defensive young dragon. No longer a baby, but not a teenager yet. Odds were it was about the same age as the girls. But that didn’t matter to the worried guardians. All that mattered was how close she was to the crown princess and daughter of one of their closest friends.  
Red growls in warning and an arrow from Shaw’s bow soars through the air and passes just over the dragon’s head, lodging into the tree behind her.  
“Get away from her!” he bellows in warning. The dragon hisses at it’s attackers and lets of a weak spray of sparks before turning around and trying to flying away. It only manages to hover a few feet at a time and each time it lands it visibly cringes.  
Soon it’s out of sight thought. “No! Wait!” Emma calls after it, but it doesn’t respond.  
She turns to her chaperones, not looking relieved but furious.  
“She was hurt!” she exclaims. “I was trying to help her, but now you’ve made it worse! Shame on you both!” With that she runs off, after the creature.  
Shaw and a still transformed Red try to follow after her, only to have their path blocked by an uncharacteristically fierce looking Alexandra.  
“At least detransform,” she demands of the werewolf, trying to buy Emma the time she needs to heal the dragon without being seen. Shaw picks the cloak back up from where he dropped it when he drew his bow and lays it over the wolf, who is soon replaced by a sheepish looking Red.  
“What’s gotten into you two? Since when does the Charming court shoot before asking questions? Especially you two?” she demands. Red knows that the girl makes a good point and she will happily let her scold her the rest of the day, after she makes sure her best friend’s only child is safe.  
Alexandra can see she’s about to get ignored and puts her foot down. “No!” she commands once more.  
“You saw what happened!” Red exclaims defensively.  
“That Emma was doing a fine job calming an injured animal, just like you two taught her to do? Or the part where you nearly got her hurt by jumping to the worst conclusion?” Red and Shaw exchange a look. Little princesses are much too eloquent for their age, what are they supposed to say to that?

* * *

Meanwhile Emma has caught up with the young dragon.  
The black scaled creature found a place to hide within the cover of a hole left behind by an uprooted tree and some shrubbery that is in the process of covering it.  
Once the dragon hears Emma approach it starts hissing, though it seems too tired to attempt to run away or breath fire.  
“It’s okay…” Emma assures it. “I’m alone see?” She gestures to the empty forest around herself, knowing that it won’t be true for too long.  
“They didn’t mean you any harm. They’re just very protective. You’re hurt, let me help.” She carefully holds out her hand towards the paw she saw giving her trouble when she tried to run away.  
The dragon looks from Emma’s hand to her paw back to her face. After a moment some kind of understanding passes between them and the giant reptile offers it’s paw to the princess.  
As she kneels down to inspect the damage she almost immediately sees the problem. A thorn branch has wrapped itself around the paw and some of the thorns have dug into the scales, drawing blood.  
She looks back into the dark eyes. “This might hurt a bit, but it’ll feel better soon, I promise.”  
She starts untangling the branch from the paw, then she pulls out the few thorns that are left behind.  
She looks back. She can’t see anyone approaching but just in case she takes out the shiny pebble Regina gave her for practicing magic in public.  
She moves it over the wounds and uses her magic to make it glow and the wounds to heal. To her relief they do so immediately. Granted none of the wounds were deep to begin with. But still, she was pretty proud of herself for her first try at healing magic.  
The dragon looks curiously at it’s paw and carefully tries to stand. Once it realizes that there’s no more pain, it looks up at then the dark eyes are no longer those of a lizard, but human. The scales are replaced by pale skin and in front of Emma stands a dark haired girl in a dark green dress.  
“You helped me,” she whispers in awe. Emma blinks a few times, processing what she just saw. Now she knows how Alex felt a few minutes earlier.  
“Eh… Sure?” she replies, not sure what else to say.  
“You saw how the adults reacted, even if they were trying to protect you. Even your friend didn’t want to get anywhere close to me.” There was a bitterness in the girls voice.  
“I asked her to stay behind so we wouldn’t scare you actually,” Emma corrects her.  
“And right now she’s buying me the time I need to help you.” The girl smiles hesitantly, as if she is unwilling to belief that there are two girls her age who don’t run for the hills when they see her.  
“I’m Emma by the way,” the young princess introduces herself.  
“Lilith… Call me Lilly.” They shake hands and smile at each other.  
“Emma!” Shaw’s voice echoes trough the woods.  
“Guess Alex ran out of reasons to keep them in the clearing. You better hide… But come by the Palace tonight. There’s an opening at the back where you can sit while we talk. It’s not super comfortable but…”  
“Castle… You mean the Charming palace? You’re princess Emma!” Lilly realizes.  
“Emma!” Alexandra whisper yells from the trees. Lilly and Emma turn to her and see that she’s looking behind her.  
“They’ll be here any moment, tell me you…” at this point she turns around and realizes that there’s no dragon.  
“Eh… Hi?” she says confused.  
“Alexandra, this is Lillith. Lilly this is my best friend Alex. You can trust her.”  
Lilly sighs. “Don’t have much of a choice. See you around Emma… Alexandra.” And with that final goodbye she hurries of into the trees.  
“That was…”  
“The dragon. Yeah…” The girls look at each other and start giggling.  
“Emma, I love coming here, there’s always something interesting going on,” Alexandra tells her.  
“Let’s keep Lilly between us though,” Emma suggests, sensing that Lilly kept her true self hidden from the adults for a reason.  
“Agreed,” Alexandra nods. And that is all the time they get before Shaw and Red catch up with them.  
The two are relieved to find the two princesses unharmed and are more than happy to hear Emma tell them about the thorn branch and how the dragon was harmless once she removed it and that they should’ve trusted her. They get Emma to promise not to tell her parents they left her alone with a dragon though. “No need to worry your mother when nothing happened right?”  
Emma agreed, but only because it would make not mentioning Lilly easier on both her and Alexandra.  
Their guests leave and evening comes. After her parents check in on her before going to bed, Emma sneaks out of the palace and finds her way to the drain opening she sent Lilly to.

* * *

“Lilly?” she calls out softly.  
“Emma!” the reply sounds relieved.  
“Sorry for the awkward meeting spot. I couldn’t do better with the entire palace surrounded by water,” she apologizes.  
“No problem, you didn’t really have much time to think of something else,” she responded.  
“So… how did you end up in that meadow?”  
As Lilly tells Emma about how she snuck out to practice flying Regina looks on from the shadows. And she isn’t alone.  
“Well well well. The dragon has left her nest,” she says softly, trying not to alert the children.  
“And the queen is out to play,” Maleficent replies playfully.  
“Emma isn’t going to hurt your girl… Leave her be,” Regina warns, her hand glowing with magic, ready to protect her goddaughter.  
“I know,” a blissful smile and a single tear.  
“She looks so happy,” she breathes. “She doesn’t have any friends her age… Or any friends at all really. She tried to hide it from me, but I could tell how excited she was after she went to the woods. I had to see what made my girl smile so much.”  
Regina’s magic dims and she sighs in relief. She lays a hand on her oldest friend’s shoulder. The two women smile at each other. “You have really hung up the scepter?” she asks.  
“I wouldn’t do anything that risks my little girl’s safety,” she assures Regina.  
The former evil queen nods in understanding and then turns to observe as Emma giggles at something Lilly told her.

* * *

“Well, now that we’ve got that cleared up we best deal with these two troublemakers,” she announces.  
And with a puff of smoke Lily appears on the other side of the wall, nearly causing Emma to scream out in surprise.  
“What are you two doing out of bed?” Regina asks, feeling like the two should learn not to sneak of.  
“Regina!” Emma gasps. “I just wanted to get to know Lilly a little better. We didn’t have time to talk last time,” she tries to explain. Lilly throws herself between Emma and the sorceress only to freeze as she spots the figure hiding in the darkness behind her.  
“Mom?” she breathes tensely.  
“Hello sweetheart,” Maleficent greets softly from the shadows.  
“You really think you can sneak away from the cave, twice in one day, without me following you? You must’ve really wanted to meet your friend here.”  
“She didn’t do anything bad. She helped me!” Lily assures her mother as she steps into the light. A imposing presence with blond hair cascading freely down her shoulders. Her blue eyes studying Emma, who stepped from behind Lilly’s back to stand beside her.  
“I see,” she says slowly.  
“If you want to punish me, just do it,” Emma says bravely.  
“Punish you? Well… you both snuck out of your rooms when you’re supposed to be sleeping. Though I can understand why you felt the need…” Maleficent muses.  
“But Emma did you already forget the lesson we tried to teach you after your parent’s anniversary?” Regina interjects. Emma looks down.  
“I did consider the consequences… If I didn’t talk to Lilly tonight, we might never see each other again. And since I helped her, I should make sure she’s okay right?” she explains softly.  
Regina smiles, touched. “Emma, that is very sweet of you. But what if she fell of the rocks while you two talked?” Emma’s eyes widened. “But the ledge-”  
“Is slippery at best.” Regina reminds her. She couldn’t really fault her for not thinking of that, she was only six and a half. But that is why she has to teach her these kind of things.  
“Sorry Lilly, I didn’t think of that,” Emma admitted sheepishly.  
“Me either, so that makes two,” Lilly smiles and Emma can’t help but smile in response.  
“Wait…” Emma mutters as realization dawns on her. “What are you doing here? I get how Lilly’s mom found out, but you weren’t anywhere near here this afternoon. How did you know?”  
“Shaw informed me of what happened on your way back to the palace,” Emma remembers seeing him hanging back. He’d said it was to make sure the dragon wasn’t following Emma home, as strays tended to do for those who look after them. And while that might not have been a lie, that must also have been when he informed her godmother.  
“He wanted to know if your parents should know. Considering they would probably find a dragon in their woods a reason to worry I advised against it. Especially since I had a feeling that this was no ordinary dragon you’d met. Just in case you decided to make friends with her, I found it best to come by and check in on you.” As Regina finishes the story she looks between the two girls.  
“So now, what to do with you two?” Regina wonders aloud.  
Emma looks down, knowing she deserves whatever Regina decides. She already made this mistake once before and she didn’t learn her lesson from a warning.  
Lilly looks straight at the adults in defiance, already planning on objecting to whatever they have to say.  
“Well, I don’t know about Lilly, but Emma, for the next few weeks you are grounded. No going off to the garden with Roland, or snack breaks with Ingrid, and I will know if you cheat on your punishment. I’ll tell you when it’s over, understood?” Emma nods.  
“So she can’t have any fun for as long as you feel like it? For trying to help me make a friend?” Lily protests.  
“Lilith!” her mother stops her. “We will continue this discussion at home. And as for the both of you… It would be a shame if you never saw each other again I suppose…” Maleficent muses.  
The girls look at each other in surprise.  
“Indeed,” Regina agrees.  
“Lilith may come over during your weekly classes at the Enchanted palace for some tea before I send you back home,” she offers. Emma grins widely.  
“Thank you Regina, I won’t let you down again, promise.”  
“Your heart is in the right place Emma, but you have to let people who love you protect you every once in a while. No one can go through life all by themselves. Remember the first three rules I taught you?” Emma nods. “Never rely on just one skill. Use your opponent’s blind spots. And always rely on the strength of your friends,” she repeats. Regina nods, satisfied.  
“Good. And now with Lily you have a new friend with new strengths you can rely on,” she points out. Emma grins at the young girl in question. “We’ll have each other’s back won’t we?” she asks.  
“Always,” Lilly promises.

* * *

[Healing friendships](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/52249267)


	17. V Midnight in the village

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What do you do when you are nearly seven years old and mastered the ability to fly?  
You take your best friend for a ride and inevitably hi jinx ensue.

**Princess Emma**

**III Princess Emma's entourage**

**V Midnight in the village**

By the time June arrives Emma and Lilly are relieved of their respective punishments.  
It didn’t take long for them to become like sisters to one another, both shouldering a different legacy. Emma is awed by Lily’s birth mark and assures her that it must mean she’s supposed to do something amazing. They have fun imagining themselves as heroes of the realm, just the two of them. They’re also progressing greatly in their respective magic lessons. Though Emma is still getting around to telling Lilith about the incident in the library all those months ago.  
She doesn’t feel too bad since Alex doesn’t know why it needs to stay secret either. Emma didn’t know how to explain it herself so she thought it best not to try, for now.  
Lily got better control of her dragon form and abilities every day.

* * *

And one night a week or two before summer begins, Emma is woken up by the sound of her balcony doors opening. She shoots up in her bed and grabs her slingshot, a present from Robin, and aims a pellet at the intruder.  
She squints her eyes and in the moonlight she sees the silhouette of a dragon change to that of a girl.  
“Lily!?” she whispers as she puts away her slingshot and gets out of bed.  
“I did it Emma! I flew from my place to here in one go! Cool huh!?” The dark haired girl giggles eagerly, proud of herself.  
“You scared me,” Emma insists, though she can’t quite keep the awe from her voice.  
Lily pretty much ignores her, vibrating with excitement.  
“I left a note for my mom to tell her I’m going on a late night flight in case she wakes up before I’m back,” she tells her friend. Walking around Emma’s room and taking a good look at everything that catches her eye.  
“Now she can’t get mad with me,” she concludes proudly.  
“Shouldn’t you have woken her? So she knows when you’re away longer than you’re supposed to?” Emma suggests. Sure this is better than not telling anyone, but the weeks of boredom and hard study are still fresh in her mind and she doesn’t want to disappoint Regina.  
“I’m with you now right? What’s the worst that could happen?”  
“My dad could wake up, decide to check in on me and find a strange girl in my room. Or worse see a dragon leave. How am I supposed to explain that before he draws his sword and calls the guards?” Emma tells her. The idea of just telling her parents has come up. She even tested the waters by suggesting that, since Regina is now good, maybe they should consider redeeming other villains as well, or at least give them a chance to change. Her parents aren’t too eager to actively seek out a villain and potentially making their family a target. Or that is what she gathered from hushed conversations she wasn’t supposed to hear.  
Lilly frowns as she studies the dresses in Emma’s closet.  
“Well… I’ll think of that next time.” Emma sighs, Lilly can be a little impulsive sometimes. Which isn’t a bad thing, since Emma is getting better at thinking things trough and planning ahead. Except for the fact that Lily also has the ability to be very persuasive. She has a way of phrasing bad ideas like they are worth the trouble they’ll get into.  
“I actually came here to take you on a little ride.”  
Emma feels her jaw drop. “What?” she manages to bring out.  
“I practiced, I can carry something twice your weight now. Let’s go!” she insists eagerly.  
“Can’t this wait until…”  
“No, now is perfect. Look at the sky Em. Can you imagine flying through it?”  
Emma looks outside, the full moon is out and there are barely any clouds. It looks like a perfect night for a flight, though some clouds and a new moon would probably be better if they want to avoid being seen. Then again… It’s late… maybe no one will be looking at the sky at this hour?  
A gentle breeze flows through the open doors to her balcony. It’s chilly outside, but other than that it seems like perfect weather to fly.  
“You know you want too…” Lily presses her eyes twinkling in excitement. Emma bites her lip.  
If her father wakes up and sees her gone… He’d be worried sick. Even if she’s right back, she can’t do that to him. And what would her mother say?  
“Come on Emma. Five minutes, the sky all to ourselves. You know we can’t do this in daylight.”  
That’s true. If they are going to go out flying it’ll have to be at night. Who knows when another opportunity will present itself… And if Regina and Maleficent will allow it if they ask…  
“Fine, but I’m getting something warmer to wear, and I’m telling Regina what we’re doing,” she insists. Lily shrugs, and walks over to the balcony, indicating Emma should hurry up.

* * *

Emma goes to her vanity and whispers “Amin?” Not very hopeful.  
As she expected the man doesn’t respond. So she goes for plan B.  
She takes a piece of paper and writes a short message. ‘Flying with Lily, back soon.’  
She then folds the paper in a very crude bird. With a little spark of magic she blew it into the mirror, knowing it’ll reach Regina soon. Then she writes another note and takes a ribbon. She opens her bedroom door and ties it to the doorknob. ‘Don’t worry. Couldn’t sleep. On a walk, back soon.’ She’s hoping it’ll be enough to soothe her parents worry should they check in right when she and Lilly are gone.  
She goes to change in a dress and cloak so she won’t freeze during the flight. She also makes sure to put on some shoes. Lily might’ve said they will only be gone five minutes, but she might need to make a quick landing before heading back.  
“Alright, let’s get going,” she sighs as she walks out on the balcony with one last glance to the mirror, hoping that Regina won’t be mad at them since she made sure no one would have to worry.  
“Awesome!” Lilly beams as she turns into a dragon before Emma can even blink.  
“… You’re sure you can carry me right?” Emma checks, suddenly finding the idea of flying a lot less appealing. What was she thinking? She should go back to bed…  
Sensing the princess might change her mind, Lily takes off and grabs her by the shoulders as she makes a circling motion above the balcony instead of waiting for her to climb on her back. Emma just manages to keep herself from screaming. That would alert her parents for sure, and there is no way she’ll be able to convince them that she isn’t being kidnapped if they see this.  
Lily makes a dive for the waters surrounding the castle, close enough for Emma to see her reflection in the surface, only for it to be disturbed by a fish jumping up underneath her.  
She can barely contain her laughter. Lily was right, this feels great. She even manages to forget about the possibility that Regina isn’t exactly thrilled with her right now.  
She’s just enjoying the moment, the wind flowing through her hair, the world flashing past around her.  
Lily rises again and Emma can see the infinite forest and the little harbor town. From the looks of it a new ship is just sailing in.  
Lily flies them over the forest, not too far from the village but not close enough to be noticed at once. So long as neither of them make too much noise no one should notice them…  
At least Emma hopes they don’t. Those hopes are dashed when an arrow barely misses them.  
Emma should’ve known. While Lilly on her own might’ve been mistaken for a large bird from a distance, she drew a lot more attention while carrying her.  
“Lily we have to land so you can change back, before someone hits you!” she demands as another arrow flies past them.  
Lilly lets out a whining sound Emma recognizes as an apology.

* * *

They land and Lilly changes back. Emma hurriedly grabs her hand and makes a run for the village to hide in plain sight. Only moments after they run up the dimly lit roads they see a group of men run towards the woods where they landed. Emma pulls them in a side street and lets the men pass.  
“Hurry! We might be able to save the child!” one yells.  
“Well… They’re in for a long pointless search… And we’re about to make a long walk home,” Emma sighs. It seems they still didn’t think it all trough as much as they should’ve.  
She chuckles as she thinks about how hard it’s going to be to keep her face straight if the villagers come to her parents in the morning to report a child snatching dragon, though they’ll probably try to keep her out of such a council if they can.  
She turns to Lilly, making sure she’s okay and looking to laugh about their bad luck, but her friend is sitting on the ground. Her knees pulled to her chest and her head hiding in the embrace of her folded arms.  
“I’m so sorry, I made a big mess.” Emma is shocked to hear tears in Lilly’s voice. She never lets anything get to her. That is one of the things she admires so much about her.  
“It’s okay Lil. We’re both fine. See?” Emma spread her arms to show off her undamaged clothes. “Not a scratch on us. Hey, we can even look around the village a little before going home. Doesn’t that sound fun?” she offers.  
“I think you were wrong,” Lilly whispers as she sits up, looking at the inside of her wrist where the black star mark rests.  
“This star, isn’t a sign of a great destiny. It means I’m bad luck.”  
“Don’t say that!” Emma protests.  
“Face it Em. I just can’t do anything right… I just wanted… I wanted to make some good memories. You and your fancy prince and princess friends are obviously going to have your own big adventures. Vanquishing evil and finding true love and all that stuff.  
I don’t want you to forget about me when you do, but I don’t want to be the girl who almost got you killed a hundred times. I…” Lilly trails of, whipping at her eyes.  
“First of all, I’ll never forget about you, period. Because I’ll never stop spending time with you. Even if I’m having my own adventure, it doesn’t mean you can’t be part of it. Mom took Red on lots of her adventures. Why wouldn’t you be by my side on some of mine?” she presses.  
Lilly manages a little smile. “Thanks Em. Sorry for getting you in trouble though. If I had stuck to the castle, this wouldn’t have happened.”  
Emma nudges her playfully. “Think of it as our first real adventure together,” she jokes and they both laugh.

* * *

“Come on, we better get going if we want to get back home before your mom or my parents notice we’re gone.” They start making their way through the village, making sure to keep the castle in sight so they don’t lose their way. Emma keeps the hood of her cloak up, just in case there’s someone in the village who’s seen her before.  
“Leave her alone!” a distressed male voice echoes through the streets.  
Emma and Lilly, without thinking, hurry to the source.  
They arrive at a side street where a shadowy figure presses the man they heard against the wall while a young woman is tugging at the villains arm. Trying to release his grip.  
“Stop! You’ll kill him!” she cries.  
“His fault for playing hero!” The man growls as he lets go with one hand only long enough to hit the girl to the ground after which he returns to choking the other man.  
One look at one another and they know they have to do something.  
After a short hushed conversation, Emma climbs on Lilly’s shoulders while Lilly performs a partial transformation and spreads her wings. Emma summons her miniature star to both draw attention and to make their true appearance harder to see.  
“What the?” the man exclaims as he looks around and sees a shining silhouette with demonic wings at the end of the alley. “Dear gods! Please have mercy!” he pleads as he lets go of the man and falls down to his knees.  
“Leave!” The young princess commands. The man scrambles to his feet and runs past his would be victims, who are staring in awe at the figure that came to their rescue.  
The girls giggle and Emma waves before making the star brighter, blinding the two temporarily and giving her time to get off Lily’s back and hide around the corner.  
“Where did it go?” the woman’s voice whispers.  
“Back to where it came from, wherever that may be,” the man tells her. Emma and Lilly hear them approach their side of the street and hurry ahead so they don’t notice them. Once they feel like they’re out of earshot they burst out laughing.  
“Did you see his face?” Emma giggles.  
“I don’t know what scared him more. My wings or your scary voice,’ Lilly gasps as she tries to catch her breath from laughing too hard.  
“I just tried to sound like Regina when she’s mad,” Emma tells her humbly.  
“Well it sure worked! I was scared of you for a moment!” Lilly replies.  
As the girls giggle they lose sight of where they are going, entering a barely lit, shadowy part of town. The streets are narrow and the once clear sky has become overcast, limiting their sight even more. Just when they calm down, realize they’ve strayed a bit farther from the main road than they intended and look around to see which direction they should continue, a chorus of quacking ducklings calls Emma’s attention.

* * *

A group of ducklings have, for some reason, wandered away from the safety of the forest.  
Their mother is preening her feathers some distance away while they’re playing in a deep puddle.  
What annoys Emma though, is that their ‘playing’ involves biting at a bigger baby bird with grey plumage and a longer neck than the group.  
“Hey cut that out!” Emma hisses at them as she snatches up the bullied animal and holds it protectively against her chest. The ducklings hurry to their mother who quacks defensively.  
“Well if you kept an eye on them I wouldn’t have scared them!” Emma argues.  
Luckily for Emma the mother duck decides that going home is more important than trying to bite the human girl. As soon as the duck family is gone both Emma and Lilly turn their attention to the baby animal.  
“Is it hurt?” Lilly asks.  
“I think he’s fine, just a little scared,” Emma whispers, inspecting the quivering animal. She recognizes it as a baby swan. Shaw and Red have been teaching her to recognize animals and plants. “I don’t think they managed to take a bite, he doesn’t seem to even miss a feather.”  
“Do you think he might be scared of us?” Lilly suggests gently.  
“I hope not. Are you scared of me?” Emma asks the fuzzy creature as she gently strokes it’s chest with her index finger.  
The baby swan slowly calms down and lets out a gentle quack of it’s own.  
“Aw, poor thing. Don’t worry. We’ll find your mommy somewhere,” she assures him as she tucks him in the inside pocket of her cloak.  
“There, nice and warm,” she tells him.  
Suddenly Emma lets out a terrified shriek as she gets pulled away by her wrist.  
“Well there little lady. Strayed a bit too far from your palace didn’t you?” a burly man with yellowing teeth and dark eyes, partly hidden behind greasy strands of brown hair, leers.  
“Let her go!” Lily shouts as she slams her fists against his side.  
The man just chuckles darkly in amusement. “Don’t you worry pet.” He grabs her by the upper arm. “I’m sure you’re worth something too.”  
Emma locks eyes with Lily and then proceeded to jump up and land with her full weight on his foot.  
Lilly mimics the movement near simultaneously making the man gasp in pain and let them go.  
Emma grabs Lilly’s hand and together they run towards the nearest alley they can see, disappearing in it’s shadows. The man, biting away his pain, grins.  
“Dead end you brats!” he calls after them. When he tries to follow them though, he is tripped and sent sprawling on the wet street.  
“Scaring little girls like that is just bad form mate. It makes my stomach turn,” a charismatic, masculine voice glowers from behind him.  
The man scrambles to his feet. “Who do you think you are?” the would-be-kidnapper seethes as he turns around and reaches for his dagger, only to find the sharp end of a sabre pointed at his throat. In front of him stands a dark haired man, dressed in black leather, who smiles down at him with an almost boyish cockiness. Except there is nothing boyish about the look in his blue eyes.  
“Why don’t you guess mate?” he suggests as he lifts his left arm, showing off an attachment that glistens in the limited light.  
“Forgive me… I didn’t know…” the man stammers.  
“Of course you didn’t!” his opponent cuts him off. “Now normally you wouldn’t get to live to tell the tale, but as it stands that would leave a mess those girls really don’t need to see. So it’s your lucky night. Know this though. If I ever see you again, I will do the rest of the world a grand favor and end your existence. Now get out of my sight!” he hisses. The man nods and runs as fast as he can.

* * *

Once he’s out of sight the dark man sheets his sword and casually wanders over to the alley.  
Before he can call out for the girls to tell them it’s safe to come out though, something flies past him, cutting his right cheek.  
“What in the-?” he mutters as he reaches for the spot.  
“Oh gods! I’m so sorry!” one of the young girls he saw running from the scoundrel earlier exclaims, lowering her slingshot, her dark haired friend looking at him with suspicion from behind her shoulder. “I thought that bad guy was coming for us,” she tells him as she rushes over towards him, her friend following at her heels.  
“Are you alright sir?” the blond girl asks worriedly as she meets him at the entrance to the alley. The dark haired girl still stays behind her, looking at him with suspicion.  
“I’m fine lass,” he assures the nice girl. Both impressed with her courage and show of initiative and endeared with her worry for his wellbeing.  
Suddenly, something moving inside her cloak catches his attention.  
“What’s that you’ve got there luv?” he asks kindly as he crouches down so he can talk to her on her level. “A baby swan, it’s lost its mom,” she explains.  
The duckling snuggles into Emma’s embrace. “Well, looks like it’s found her,” the pirate winks.  
“So Miss Swan,” he says, “I recon you and your friend could use a snack after all that excitement. Want to see a Pirate’s ship?” he asks. The girls look at each other and nod, eyes gleaming with curiosity.  
“Alright then,” he says as he gets up.  
“I’m captain Killian Jones,” he introduces himself with a bow. “At your service.”  
“Emma, and this is my friend Lilly,” Emma tells him with a bow of her own while Lily just waves, still not sure whether the man is to be trusted especially if he’s a pirate captain like he said.  
“A pleasure to meet you both. Now let’s go. We’ll have a quick snack and then I’ll bring you two home, or wherever you want me to escort you to. Best be sure no ruffians get anywhere close to you again,” he grins at them playfully, though his eyes briefly dart over the surrounding area.  
“Thank you sir, that’s very kind of you,” Emma sighs in relief, happy to have someone familiar with the area willing to make sure they didn’t get bothered for the rest of their journey. She looks over at Lila and after a moment of silence nudges her.  
“Yeah, thanks,” she mutters reluctantly.  
“Don’t be so rude Lil,” Emma whispers to her.  
“Your friend is right not to trust me, I am a pirate after all,” Killian tells Emma as he motions for them to follow, it was better if they didn’t stay her too long.  
Emma tugs at his coat, making him look back at her. “Are you going to hurt us?” she asks bluntly.  
Killian looks down at her in surprise. “Of course not!” he assures her.  
She studies his face for a moment. “I belief you.” The young girl smiles brightly as she says this.  
Killian smiles a bit taken aback. He didn’t know he missed having someone trust him so completely until now.  
As they walk to the harbor Emma asks him endless questions about his adventures. After a while Lily begins to relax and joins in. By the time they see the docks the three are laughing together as though they are life long friends.  
“I can’t belief you actually slayed a sea serpent,” Emma gushes.  
“It was that overgrown snake or my ship. Speaking of which. There she is. The Jolly Roger!” Hook pointed at the biggest ship currently in the harbor the one they’d seen arrive from the sky earlier that night.  
“She’s beautiful!” Emma exclaims.  
“Ay, she’s a marvel. Made from enchanted wood. She’s carried me through many a storm,” he tells them as he walks over the plank that connects his ship to the land.

* * *

“Alright! We’ve got polite company men!” he shouts out and at once the crew sits up straighter and looks over to the guests the captain brought. They are surprised to see two little girls board the ship. When they heard ‘polite company’ they expected to see nobility who needed to go on a dangerous adventure no one else would take them on. Not two lost girls.  
“Hello! Nice to meet you all. Your captain has been telling me so many stories. It’s an honor to meet such a brave and loyal crew,” Emma rambles a little nervous to meet so many pirates at once.  
The crew looks at each other, once more surprised, but this time that the captain has apparently been singing their praises. Captain Hook is a great sailor, brave and loyal to his ship and crew. There was no one they’d rather follow on any journey. But he isn’t one to hand out complements.  
“Lass… I’m trying to run a tight ship, can’t have my men get too full of themselves,” Hook chuckles, though he doesn’t deny her claims.  
“Which one is this Mr. Smee you mentioned?” Emma continues, pretending she didn’t catch the hint. “I can’t wait to meet the right hand man of the great captain Hook. Or… Left hand man I suppose,” she giggles.  
“Sir, may I ask what brings this, very lovely, lady and her friend on board?” The man in question inquires carefully.  
Killian’s face darkened. “I do.” He tells him coldly, clearly not happy that he is asked to explain himself. “The ladies got lost on their way home, so I offered to escort them there. First I chose to give them something to eat,” he elaborates. “Does that answer satisfy you Mr. Smee?”  
Smee swallows hard. He knows that he’s the only one who can get away with questioning the captain in any way, but today, for the first time in several lifetimes, he feels like he is truly close to stepping over a line. He lowers his head. “Apologies captain.” He should’ve known really. Children were always a sensitive subject to the captain.  
“Wow! Cool!” Emma exclaims as she picks up a sabre that was left unattended and holds it up experimentally with both hands.  
“Is this yours?” She asks a nearby crewmember with admiration for the elegant hilt and slender blade.  
This one isn’t nearly as heavy as the swords the knights use, though it’s still not easy for her to hold.  
“Aye,” the man smiles, a little endeared with the girl’s innocent admiration.  
“Wow, that’s a cool scar,” Lily whispers, looking at the jagged line that goes down another man’s throat. “What happened to the other guy?” she asks.  
“Lil!” Emma chastises, aware that scars can sometimes be sensitive subjects.  
“It’s fine lass,” the man chuckles, not used to someone caring about his feelings.  
“Let’s just say the other guy is far less handsome than me now.” The pirate winks and Lily grins in understanding.  
“Mister Jones! Will you teach me?” Emma asks innocently, raising the sword to show what she means.  
Hook chuckles. “On one condition little Swan. You call me Killian. Mr. Jones was my father and he and I aren’t on speaking terms.”  
“Okay,” Emma smiles as she hands the sword back to it’s owner.  
Suddenly the little duckling jumps out of Emma’s pocket.  
“No! Come back!” Emma exclaims frightened as she runs after the duckling.  
“Silly swan, what if you’d gotten lost?” she wonders when she finally catches it. The crew laughs at the display of motherly instinct.  
“Perhaps, the lady should give her little friend a name?” Smee offers as he returns with some of the cake and two glasses of milk from below deck. “That way, it’ll be truly yours.”  
“Thanks!” Emma smiles as she and Lily accept the snack and drink.  
“Hmmm… What to name you though? Something that is good for a boy and a girl, since I don’t know for sure which one you are…” Emma thinks about it for a moment, as she carefully drinks her milk and eats her cake. Killian observes her with interests.  
“Oh, I know!” she exclaims excitedly. “Brook!” she decides. The swan duckling in her arms nibbles affectionately at her hair as if to give it’s approval.  
“Excellent name,” Hook praises. “Now, to get you two home,” he states as he gets up and starts walking back to shore, gently guiding the girls along.  
“I’ll be back by first light. And we leave with the dawn that follows, so make sure you have your affairs here in order by then!” Hook informs his men.  
Lily and Emma wave the crew goodbye and follow Hook to shore.

* * *

After walking in silence for a while Hook sighs in relief.  
“That was a close one lass, but I don’t think they realized who you are,” he tells Emma.  
“Wait… You know?”  
“You eat like a princess Swan. Or at least like nobility. Trust me, I was a lieutenant in the king’s royal navy once. I have been to my fair share of fancy dinners, I know nobility.  
On top of that, everyone knows that the crown princess’s name is Emma, and since your castle is visible from the town, it doesn’t take a genius to connect the dots,” he tells her, hurrying the girls along, in a rush to leave the village.  
“Of course you already knew that since that moron apparently figured out who you are all by himself as well.”  
“Why are you bringing us home then?” Lily asks.  
“Because I promised!” Killian says simply.  
“That was before you knew that Em here is the sole heir to the richest kingdom of the allied crowns of the enchanted forest. Her ransom could fulfill your every dream! And you’re just going to let her go home?” she presses.  
“Aye.” Is all Hook has to say about it.  
Truth is, while he knows a princess’s ransom would be impressive, it wouldn’t be worth disappointing another child. Bea’s face still haunts him to this day.  
Emma grins at Lily in triumph. Proud that her initial idea of their savior had been right.  
“Really Lil, of all people you should know not to judge someone like that. If I did that then you and I wouldn’t be friends.” She smirks. Lilly rolls her eyes.  
“If you’re going to keep saying ‘I told you so’ all the way home, I think I’m going to fly the rest of the way. Before my mum wakes up,” Lilly mutters. Hook frowns confused, surely he misheard.  
“That’s alright, I’ll have plenty of time to say ‘I told you so’ about a lot of things when I see you for tea on Friday. You’re still coming right?”  
Lilly sighs and rolls her eyes. “Of course. Even if you’re going to lecture me, I wouldn’t miss it.”  
With that the girl transforms into a dragon, right in front of a bewildered pirate’s eyes and flies off.

* * *

“Bloody… I… Her mother is she…” Emma just nods.  
“Well. I can honestly tell my crew that kidnapping you two would’ve been suicide. And I’m not ready to die just yet.”  
“No one’s ever ready to die...” Emma argues.  
“For love or vengeance, I’d be more than happy to perish,” Hook vows.  
“What do you mean?” Emma presses carefully. And for some odd reason the ageless pirate finds himself telling Emma an abbreviated version of his relationship with Milah, from the exciting beginning to the tragic end, and the quest that had started from it.  
“Wow… That’s a long time to be mad at someone. Will getting revenge be worth it?”  
“Aye, I’ll have avenged my love’s death. She deserves justice,” he tells her.  
“But will you be happy?” This question makes him pause. Would he be happy…? He’s spent longer hunting the crocodile than he’s spent doing anything else. He’d long ago come to terms with the fact that vengeance wouldn’t be a beginning but an end… And he’d never thought of it as happy. Just a sedative for the pain that was the memory of watching helplessly as that monster crushed Milah’s heart.  
“Regina told me she was angry with my mom for a long time for something that got her first love killed.”  
The captain nearly comes to a full stop as he hears this. No one knew exactly why the evil queen had hunted Queen Snow White for so long. Most assumed it was just jealousy, but could she really have been acting with similar motives to his?  
“Mom was ten. And neither like to talk about it much. But when Regina said that every time she tried to hurt my mom, it backfired and made her even sadder.”  
That makes Hook think even more. He has been miserable ever since he set out on this quest. Promising himself it will be worth it. He’s done things that a younger version of himself would be appalled at. And not once have such actions brought him anything other than more anger and regrets. He has only made enemies and he honestly isn’t sure why his crew hasn’t staged a mutiny at some point yet. He even went against the whole point of becoming pirates by allowing himself to fall into servitude to Pan. Emma might have a point. Perhaps it was time to change tactics. Reevaluate his priorities.  
Lieutenant Jones had valued good form, had stopped drinking to ensure that he would never mess up what his brother was building for them again.  
While he wouldn’t give up his rum again, he knew that deep down he still had this idea of how an honorable man should act. He had given up on considering himself honorable along the way and became too lenient with himself. So looking at the little princess walking besides him, who’d listened to his story without judgement and tried to offer him comfort, he promised himself something.  
From now on, he would get vengeance at any cost of his own, but no longer at the cost of others. He’ll find a way to outlive the crocodile that doesn’t enslave his crew for another eternity if he has to. He will no longer fill his life with regrets. They would sully the sweet taste of vengeance in the end.

* * *

“Wilby!?” Emma exclaims, pulling Killian away from his thoughts.  
Running at them is a brown and black shepherd barking happily upon seeing the princess.  
Emma crouches down and pets the loyal creature.  
“Who let you out of the palace boy? Or did you come looking for me on your own?” she wonders.  
Wilby barks and prances ahead of them, leading the rest of the way.  
Emma bites her lip as she follows. Killian suspects she’s dreading the no doubt firm talking to she’ll get when her parents learn that she was outside at this hour.  
They follow the dog in silence for a few minutes until they can see the forest give way to the bridge that’ll lead them to the palace gates. Wilby barks to someone standing at the castle entrance and Emma freezes upon seeing the figure.  
“What is it luv?” Hook asks as he lets his hand wander to his blade, ready to fight should the need arise. Though it seems unlikely since the dog trusts this figure. Then again, he’d had the displeasure of meeting Cruella De Ville, running an errand for her a few years ago.  
“You should head back to your ship,” Emma whispers. “My godmother can be a touch protective.” Killian quirks a brow. “I can handle a miffed fairy, princess,” he assures her with a playful smirk.  
“Not my fairy godmother. My godmother. Regina,” she insists.  
The captain swallows nervously. Regina was a woman he never wished to cross…  
Even so, he told Emma he’ll get her home and he isn’t going to be at ease until he sees her behind the castle walls.  
“I’m bringing you home Swan. It’s not up for discussion,” he tells her.  
Emma sighs, but smiles appreciatively. “Thanks.” Her frown is ever present as they start crossing the bridge. Suddenly her eyes widen as she thinks of something.  
“When are you back in the area?” she asks quickly.  
“Well… I come by about once a month. I usually stay a day, sometimes two. Why?” he asks.  
“I was serious earlier. I want you to teach me. To fight, to sail. I want to learn it all. Were you serious when you promised me you would?”  
Hook’s eyes widen. The thought of taking on an apprentice after Bea has crossed his mind every once in a while. It had never been practical, considering that anyone he’d take on would be subjected to Neverland’s magic and never grow up to become a captain in their own right, not to mention Pan most likely recruiting them into the Lost Boys.  
But what Emma was offering… It could work. He could pass on his experience and knowledge to a next generation. Not only that, but to someone who would use these skills for noble causes… He could be part of a better story.  
He looks back down on her and nods his agreement.  
“Good,” she nods to herself and then takes a deep breath. After she calms herself she puts on a bright smile and waves towards the queen who, even from this distance, looks ready to kill Killian with just her eyes.

* * *

“Regina! You got my message! We had to make an emergency landing near the village, but Killian protected us and brought us home,” Emma tells her nervously.  
“And look! I made a new friend. Their name is Brook! Isn’t it the cutest little thing!?” Emma presses eagerly, hoping the little bird will distract Regina long enough to give Killian a chance to get out of sight.  
Regina looks down and smiles at her. “You tell me all about your adventure when we see each other Friday sweetheart. You did a good job making sure I knew where you were. You’re not in trouble. Now take Wilby inside and go back to your room before your parents miss you. I’ll reward your… Savior.”  
Emma bites her lip and looks back to Killian. He nods at her in encouragement.  
She looks back at Regina determinedly. “Promise you won’t hurt him.”  
Regina sighs and nods. “I promise,” she says softly. Satisfied that Regina doesn’t seem to be lying she waves the pirate goodbye and hurries trough the opened gate towards the castle.  
Once she’s out of sight Regina summons a bag of gold. She tosses it to the pirate.  
“Here,” she says. Killian catches it and weighs it in his hand. It feels like a not unimpressive amount of wealth. He hadn’t expected any, but is glad he did receive it. He considers it proof that doing the right thing paid off. Especially if doing the selfish thing would have put him at the receiving end of the former Evil Queen’s anger, possibly along with the wrath of the mistress of evil herself.  
The princess really was onto something.  
“Emma thinks that she has protected you by ensuring I knew that she is expecting to visit you next month.” Killian smiles. That was so sweet of her, to ensure she’d see her pirate friend again.  
“But she is under the assumption that I’m not willing to endure her anger if it keeps her safe.”  
Killian straightens his posture, ready to face her judgement like a man.  
“She mentioned you protected her… From what?” Regina asks.  
“Some scoundrel thought he’d get a princess’s ransom. I made him leave the girls alone.”  
For a moment Regina’s eyes flicker with a rage that made the experienced pirate take a step back.  
“I see,” she mutters coldly as she tosses him another bag of gold, one he barely catches as he needs an extra second to switch the original bag to his hook so he has his hand free.  
“That’s for her rescue and safe return,” Regina explains. She makes another two bags appear.  
“This is to never speak to her again,” she offers.  
Hook just shakes his head. “I made a promise,” he counters. Regina raises her brow.  
“Surely there is something you want more than to teach a little girl how to sail?”  
Hook shrugs. “Maybe, but there’s nothing I dread more than disappointing her.”  
Regina chuckles. “I suppose she has that effect on people. Very well. I will find your secret desires myself. If you are going to fail her, you better do it now. The longer she knows you the more attached she gets,” Regina explains. Killian nods in understanding.  
“It’s a good thing I don’t plan on letting her down then isn’t it?” He bows, turns on his heels and starts walking back to the ship. He can understand that the queen is just trying to protect the princess, but he isn’t going to ruin another opportunity to do something right.  
If he is only allowed this one good thing in his life, then he is very well going to go for it whole heartedly.

* * *

[Different beginnings](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/52500865)


	18. VI The man in the dungeon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They say curiosity killed the cat. But what about a dragon, a magical princess and a page?

**Princess Emma**

**III Princess Emma's entourage**

**VI The man in the dungeon**

Summer is in full swing and Emma has invited Lily to stay over at her castle.  
Her parents are gone on a diplomatic mission with Regina and Robin and have left Lady Belle to look after her and Roland, who is under the impression that Lilly is a girl Emma met in the village when she went on a trip there with Regina last week.  
Right now, Roland is practicing his sword techniques in hopes of being named squire sooner.  
So Lily and Emma are on their own, looking for Belle, who once again has disappeared.  
“So she always does this when she’s in the castle.”  
“I don’t think she knows we notice. It’s time we find out where she goes though.” Emma opens the door to the guest room lady Belle is using. She walks over to the vanity and looks around.  
“Perfect!” she exclaims as she picks up a brush.  
Lilly’s eyes widen in understanding. “Regina taught you a tracking spell?” she gasps a little envious.  
“Yes and no. It was in one of the books she’s using to teach me, but I wasn’t supposed to read it, technically. It took me a while to understand everything, but today is the day it pays off.”  
She rushes back to her own room and opens one of the drawers in her vanity and pulls out a flask.  
“Ready to find out where lady Belle disappears to?” she smirks. Lilly nods eagerly. Emma ties one of her ribbons to the brush and sprinkled her potion on it. Holding on tight she lets it guide her trough the castle, outside and to a pair of locked doors. Emma knows where those lead  
“The dungeons?” Emma whispers.  
It was the one place in the castle her parents want her to stay far away from, even with adults present. And this is where lady Belle goes every time?  
“We better get going, before she comes back and sees us here,” Emma suggests as she thinks over this information.  
“But we still don’t know what she’s doing there,” Lilly whispers confused. Why go through all this trouble and not see it through?  
“We won’t get past the guards. Not to mention I don’t want to run into lady Belle down there, she’ll be very upset we followed her.”  
Lilly concedes, having learned her lesson somewhat after their last misadventure and follows Emma back upstairs. Emma undoes the spell and lays the brush back where she found it.

* * *

“I just don’t get it. Lady Belle seems like a nice woman. What is she doing in a dungeon? Aren’t those supposed to be filled with the baddest of the bad? I can’t imagine your parents keeping someone down there for anything short of mass genocide.” Lily wonders as she gets on Emma’s bed.  
“I don’t know… Come to think of it I don’t know anything about her,” Emma ponders as she sits herself at her desk and starts writing a note.  
Brook perks up from their pillow and waddles over to her, nuzzling her side. She lovingly strokes their head. The young swan has grown a lot though it still has it’s grey feathers.  
Her parents were reluctant to let them stay at first, since they knew the bird will fly out when winter comes and didn’t want her to be upset when that time comes. Emma insisted she knows Brook won’t stay with her forever and that she needs to look after them as long as they can’t look after themselves. Her plea that she was Brook’s only family is what finally convinced them to allow the orphan bird to stay and Emma couldn’t be happier. Shaw and Red helped her learn how to feed them and how to look after them properly. It’s not always fun, but she is determined to make sure that Brook is ready to look for their family when winter comes.  
“What do you mean?” Lilly whispers.  
“Of all my parent’s friends and allies I know some of their story and how they first met my parents.” Emma tells her as she copies the note down a few more times and folds her little birds, which she blows through the mirror to find the friends they’re addressed to.  
“But with lady Belle, nothing. She never told me anything about her past. I met her father sir Maurice a few times, and I know that her mother died in the last conflict with the ogres, but that’s it.”  
Lily groans in frustration and lets herself fall back on the bed.  
“I can’t believe we don’t get to go in!” she complains.  
“I didn’t say that,” Emma objects with a mischievous grin.  
Lily props herself up on her elbows and looks at her friend skeptically.  
“I’m supposed to be the bad influence of us two remember? Why are you smiling like you have an evil master plan?” she asks, unsure what to think of this situation.  
“It’s not an evil masterplan.” Emma states firmly as she takes Brook on her lap.  
“Alright… If you’re going to be me, I’ll be you. Isn’t this one of the things Regina would definitely be mad about?” she asks.  
Emma smirks at her friend as she smooths out Brook’s feathers.  
“It would be, if we went behind the adult’s back.” Now Lily was sure her friend had lost her mind.  
“There is no way any adult will let us anywhere near the dungeons.”  
Emma smiles mysteriously. Lilly is about to press for more details, but then the door opens. Roland peaks in. “Lady Belle told me to come and get you, it’s time for dinner.” The girls get up and follow him out the door.

* * *

“So,” Emma starts as they walk to the dining hall. “How is your sword fighting going?”  
Roland shrugs in a way Emma reads as ‘not good’.  
“I’m sure the offer is still open…” she whispers in case any of the guards that patrol the hallways are paying attention to their conversation. Roland looks ahead stubbornly.  
“Oh come on! He’s a good teacher,” Emma insists, not understanding why he is suddenly so cold with her. Roland had been sent with her and Lilly when Regina took them to the village to meet Killian. The captain had been more than pleased to let Roland join them for the day. On several occasions he’d offered the boy to partake in Emma’s lesson, but the aspiring knight had declined each time.  
“I don’t need to learn that kind of sword fighting,” Roland argues.  
“What kind?” Emma challenges ready to defend the captain.  
“When I’m a knight I’ll be fighting with a proper broad sword. Not with a flimsy sabre.”  
The young princess’s eyes widen, for a moment it looks like she’s about to say something, then she huffs and storms of, not casting so much as a backward glance.  
“Why would you say that? She is really proud of learning to fight you know?” Lilly chastises him.  
Roland sighs defeated. “I know, I didn’t mean it like that… I’ll apologize later,” he assures her.  
“You better. Listen I wasn’t sure about Jones at first either. And I’m not saying he’s as virtuous as fresh snow, but when it comes to us he is alright. He has our backs.”  
Roland nods. “Yeah… you’re right… the captain seems like he means well…” he allows reluctantly.  
“Good, now go make up with Emma, I don’t want to spend the rest of the week with her sulking because she has a fight with her big brother,” Lily says as she grabs him by the wrist and pulls him forward. When they’re in the dining room they find Emma whispering with Belle.

* * *

“Alright, but you have to do exactly what I say,” Belle relents in agreement to something Emma asked.  
“Thanks Belle! We’ll be good, promise.” She turns with a bright smile to the new arrivals, but then seems to remember that she’s mad with Roland and looks down stubbornly.  
Roland sighs and walks over to Emma. He pulls up a chair ad sits next to her.  
“Sorry…” he whispers.  
“I said that without thinking. I know I’d learn a lot from your friend… maybe I’m a bit jealous,” he confesses embarrassed.  
Emma turns to him with raised eyebrows. “Jealous?” she repeats dubiously.  
Roland looks to lady Belle who is listening to a story Lily is telling her, politely ignoring their private conversation.  
“You have a new, older friend, who is much more adventurous than I am. With a lot of exciting stories to tell… It’s not the same like you are with Shaw or my dad,” Roland summarizes.  
“Yes, because he sees me as a friend, not the little princess. You are my big brother. Killian is not going to replace you silly,” Emma assures him with a playful push against his shoulder.  
“Give him a chance, you’ll like him too,” she states confidently.  
“Am I still allowed to join your lessons?” he asks hopefully, because he had seen the man duel last time, and he was indeed quite skilled with a sword.  
“Of course! I hope Regina‘ll let us go back next month. I had so much fun last time,” she gushes.  
“So what did you convince lady Belle of?” he asks curiously.  
Emma grins. “How do you feel about exploring the dungeons?”

* * *

“I don’t know about this my lady. The king and queen…”  
“I’ll deal with them when they get back,” Belle assures the guard as they walk towards the dungeons followed by three young children and a stubborn swan.  
Emma has tried to keep Brook in her room, but the young swan apparently knew their caretaker was about to do something potentially dangerous and wouldn’t leave. It seems like, since Wilby left with her parents, the task of keeping an eye out for her was passed on to Brook.  
At least that’s how Emma likes to imagine it. The two royal pets seem to get along quite well. Wilby being almost as protective of Brook as he was with Emma and Roland.  
“How did you get her to agree with this again?” Lily asks astonished.  
“Simple. I talked about how Regina got redeemed and yet we still have a dungeon for bad people. I asked about why they weren’t redeemed and then I kept acting like I didn’t understand it until she decided it was easier to show me some of these ‘complicated cases’.”  
Roland and Lily look at each other and then at Emma.  
“How did you know that would work?” Roland asks.  
“Well… Lady Belle always answers my questions. Once I kept asking her why for an hour, just to see how long it’d take her to say ‘I don’t know’. I caved first.”  
Her two companions look impressed.  
“So I hoped that she might want me to understand the difference between a redeemable villain and an irredeemable one more than she’d worry about my parents thinking I’m too young.”  
At that moment they arrive at the closed dungeon doors. Lady Belle turns to them and looks at each of them sternly. “Now remember, you do exactly what I say, understood.”  
The three nod seriously. They know this isn’t a game.  
“Alright,” the lady nods to herself before descending into the dimly lit dungeon. The children stay close by, slightly nervous. As they descend deeper and deeper into the cave system underneath the castle Brook keeps close by. Clearly the poor thing can sense that they’re approaching some sinister figures.

* * *

“Who goes there?” a hoarse voice echoes trough the cave. Emma grabs Roland’s cloak and Lily jumps back behind them. Brook puts themselves between Emma and the stranger.  
Belle’s takes a deep breath and turns to the young children.  
“Emma, Roland. This is king George,” she tells them stiffly.  
Emma’s eyes widen in understanding and Roland grabs the torch from Belle’s hand and charges into the side corridor to look at the disgraced monarch. Emma joins him, followed by Brook.  
“So you are the one who had us both kidnapped five years ago?” Emma queries calmly.  
“You…” Roland stares daggers at the man, much more affected by the man’s identity.  
“Five years… You’re my granddaughter,” he breathes as he takes in the young princes, ignoring Roland completely.  
Emma shakes her head. “I’m not your anything. You’re not family, but I am grateful.”  
Roland’s head snaps to Emma in disbelieve.  
“Grateful?!” he hisses incredulously.  
“Of course. He is why your parents met right?” Emma smiles brightly.  
Roland takes a deep breath. Of course, it’s just like Emma to think of what was gained instead of what the man had taken. Roland can’t remember his birthmother, but still. She deserved better than the fate this man had given her.  
“Thanks to him I have both you as a big brother and Robin as… Well almost a second father.” Roland’s heart softens, he never wished for another life than the one he had. Still he felt some responsibility to avenge his birthmother.  
Emma turns back to the man who is still staring at her with his empty eyes.  
“So thank you. Even if you tried to break our family, your actions only made us stronger. Thank you.”  
The man slams himself against the bars and reaches through them to try and grab the little girl.  
Roland pushes her back and waves the torch in front of them making the man pull his hand back.  
“Don’t worry. If it’s a fight you want, you’ll get it. I’m going to be a knight and soon I’ll start studying sword techniques from the greatest swordsman that ever lived. It won’t be long before I’m ready to face you!” he vows, finally earning the man’s undivided attention. Emma lays a hand on Roland’s sleeve.  
“Roland look at him. In this state I could beat him!” she points out.  
Roland looks at the man again, and while moments before he could only see a demon who had killed his birthmother, tormented his father and endangered Emma, now he can see what she saw. A sad, old man, who’s barely holding onto his sanity.  
Defeating him won’t prove anything.  
Killian hasn’t taught him any sword fighting yet, but both he, his father and king David all had shown him in small and big ways, what it means to be a man of honor  
His father’s philosophy, David’s care for the poorest of his kingdom and Killian’s admiration for the young. A man of honor uses his strengths in service of others. To use them on the vulnerable is a disgrace. And the man that was once king, is vulnerable. Even if he were free and wielding a sword, he would be as much of a danger to himself as others.  
“You are right. No honor would be gained from defeating him.” He turns and walks out. Ignoring the man’s desperate pleas for an honorable death.

* * *

“Alright… I get that he can’t be let out. He’s clearly insane,” Emma allows as she follows him back outside, Brook staying right by her side.  
Belle nods and guides them deeper into the dungeons. Occasionally they hear voices calling out for them.  
“Are they all people without happy endings?” Emma wonders sadly.  
“They are all people who have yet to show that they feel like they did anything wrong.  
When your parents moved here they gave every prisoner a retrial, many were liberated, some weren’t and others were added later,” Belle explains.  
“I can’t let you go any further lady Belle. You have already had more exposure to him the past week than most of his guards get. We can’t risk it. If you insist on this visit then you must let me accompany them the rest of the way,” the guard states.   
Belle nods and turns to the children. “Stay close to the guard, hide your faces and most of all don’t tell him your name. Understood?” In response the three pull up the hoods of their cloaks and nod.

* * *

They follow the guard and as they progress, Brook becomes increasingly more restless.  
Worrying about her companion Emma crouches down, stroking their neck in an attempt to soothe them. “What’s wrong Brook?” she asks softly.  
“I imagine it senses me dearie,” a voice giggles from the darkness that sends chills down their spines.  
“I don’t think I want to see what’s down there,” Lily whispers. Roland nods firmly and is ready to help Emma up and lead both girls back to lady Belle.  
Emma however feels strangely compelled to move forward. Not just because this man is clearly the reason why lady Belle comes to the dungeons, but because she feels like she has to talk to him.  
She gets up and slowly moves forward. “You guys stay, I’ll be back soon,” she tells the other two, not wanting to force them into anything. It doesn’t take them long to follow her though. Even Brook, who’s instincts are warning them to stay far away, marches onward.  
Their human is going, so they are going too.  
The guard positions himself at the entrance to the cell and stops the children from stepping into the light.  
“Well, you’re not Belle,” the shadowy figure giggles as he takes in Emma.  
“Too young, too blonde… I didn’t expect any other visitors though… Except…” He turns his head one way and then the other and then suddenly claps his hands in delight. “It’s you! I knew you’d come to me one day! But it all went different. Clairvoyance isn’t as clear as you’d think.” He giggles once more and Emma takes a careful step forward, still out of the light, but now able to see the man more clearly. He looked disheveled and not quite human. His skin was golden and scaly and the smile on his face was slightly unsettling.  
“Who are you?” she whispers.  
“Rumpelstiltskin! At your service!” he introduces himself with a flamboyant bow.  
It is almost like everything that was happening was extremely funny to him somehow.  
“And who is that with you little princess? I sense a dragon nearby…” He stayed quite for a moment.  
“Interesting,” he whispers in a way that makes the girls very uncomfortable. Then he turns his attention to Roland.  
“And you boy…” Another moment of silence, but this time it seems like the man is taken aback.  
“Could it be… Is that you Bea?” he whispers incredulously.  
“No,” Roland hurries, not wanting anything to do with this man. “I’m-”  
Emma jabbed him in the side with her elbow. “You’re not supposed to tell him your name remember?" she hisses before turning back to the man who seems to be disappointed.  
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know any Bea…” she offers helplessly.  
“No… He’s too young as well. And it’s too soon. I should have known. But a man can hope right?”  
Emma nods, smiling in sympathy.  
“May I ask why you’re in here?” she whispers, slightly scared of the answer.  
“I’m the dark one dearie. I am much too powerful to roam the realm freely.”  
Emma swallows. It’s clear the man implies that he’s done very bad things.  
“Why? Why did you hurt so many people that my parents felt they had to lock you away all the way here?” she presses.  
“Why does anyone do anything? To get my happy ending,” he grins.  
Emma shakes her head. “Happy endings don’t happen if you do bad things,” she tells him.  
“The evil queen only got her happy ending after she made up for her mistakes.”  
“And Maleficent only got hers when she stopped taking out her anger on innocent bystanders,”  
Lilly ads bravely.  
“Villains don’t get happy endings. You might want to prove you are willing to change before you can even hope to get out of here, let alone get a happy ending,” Roland ads, subtly pulling the girls back into the hallways with him, more than ready to leave.  
“We’ll see about that,” Rumpelstiltskin grins.  
“Sorry,” Emma whispers earnestly. It was clear to her that, like king George, this man is filled with pain. The dark startles at that, surprised at the sympathy in the princess’ voice.  
Then, before the dark one can persuade Emma to stay a bit longer, Roland pulls them back through the hallways.  
“I think our parents knew what they were doing, not letting us in here,” Roland whispers when they near the light of Lady Belle’s torch, followed by the guard.  
“Yeah,” Emma agrees. Though she can’t help but wonder. What is Rumpelstiltskin waiting for?

* * *

[Conflicted feelings](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/52820149)


	19. I A baby brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kingdom is abuzz with excitement. Their princes will soon turn eight years old which means she will be officially introduced. And as if that isn't exciting enough there is a royal announcement on the way.  
But, will the festivities go off without a hitch?

**Princess Emma**

**IV Something wicked this way comes**

**I A baby brother**

“Emma! Sit still starlight,” Snow giggles as she attempts to put her old tiara on her daughter’s head.  
It was an old heirloom, worn by princesses of her family for generations, but her daughter, two months shy of her eight birthday, was too fidgety to wear it today it seems.  
Not that she can blame her. She herself feels giddy. Even Brook, who’s now identified as a male and returned each spring to the castle with his flock, seems excited.  
Three months after finding out it’s finally time to tell the people of their kingdom that another royal baby is on the way. Emma of course found out almost the day they did, curious as she is. She has been smiling almost non stop since she heard she is to be a big sister. It’s a miracle no one figured out what is going on. Snow feels like it’s written all over each of their faces.  
So far, no one has shown any sign of knowing what is going on. Not even Regina.  
Snow and Charming were relieved when it became clear that Emma found the idea of a little brother exciting. They’d been afraid she prefers being an only child, or feels that having Roland as her brother is more than enough.  
But for the past three months Emma has just been filled to the brim with questions and suggestions. How long does she have to wait? Can she hold him right away? When can he come on rides with them? Can she tell him stories?  
Snow can’t wait to see her daughter dote over her little prince.  
Emma giggles and looks up at her mother trough the mirror.  
“Sorry mommy,” she tells her as she takes a deep breath and sits as still as she can.  
As Snow smiles and adjusts the tiara however, Emma’s nerves look for a different way out.

* * *

“Emma, careful!” Snow gasps shocked as she sees sparks fly from her daughter’s fingers. She crouches at her side and picks up her hands to make sure she isn’t hurt.  
Emma sighs and pulls her hands back, balling them into fists in her lap.  
“It’s fine mom,” she mutters. “It’s just light, it doesn’t hurt me,” she tells her, unable to keep the annoyance and hurt completely from her voice.  
Her parents still aren’t entirely used to seeing her magic up close.  
Which doesn’t surprise her. They support her in all her interests, cartography, history, art, racing her horse, hunting… they even let her train with Robin to become a ‘Merry Miss’. But when it comes to magic lessons they almost seem to pretend that they don’t exist.  
They never ask what she’s learned, just if she had fun at Regina’s, if she played with Roland… Anything that doesn’t involve the actual lessons.  
And any time she does use magic in front of them they seem unsure what to say.  
Aside from starting to call her starlight instead of sunshine, they seem to want to avoid her magic all together.  
“I… I know sweetheart. Sorry,” Snow sighs as she looks up at her daughter apologetically. She knows Emma is doing excellent in her magic studies. Regina even offered them to come and watch several times and part of her would love to. They just can’t bring themselves to see more proof of her destiny, it’s terrifying. It’s even harder to try to explain this to her. How do they tell their daughter that they’re terrified that her magic has to do with a prophesy that predicted she might die in a fight that will decide the fate of their realm.  
She’s much too young to shoulder that knowledge.  
“I’m a little nervous too it seems,” she tries to assure her. Emma’s weak smile and lost enthusiasm make it clear she isn’t fooled. Of course not.

* * *

Just when Snow starts to worry her protective reaction has put a permanent end to her daughter’s excitement for the day, her little prince makes his presence known.  
Seeing her mother’s surprise Emma correctly guesses what just happened, as it has happened a few times in the past week, and lays her hands on her mother’s swollen stomach. Staring at the small bump in awe. “Did he say hi?” she wonders.  
Sensing a chance to make up for her bad reaction Snow whispers: “I think he can’t wait to see your magic for himself.” And she means it. Remembering how much Emma enjoyed Regina’s magic when she was a baby left no doubt.  
Emma’s eyes light up. “Really?  
Snow nods. “Really. In fact your dad and I were hoping you’d get the celebrations started.”  
Emma is positively beaming. “I won’t let you down!” she promises eagerly.  
“I know you’ll do wonderful. Regina can’t stop talking about what a great student you are.”  
Emma blushes. Happy to hear the pride in her mother’s voice, her worries somewhat soothed.  
“Now,” Snow says as she adjusts her daughter’s hair one final time.  
“Are you ready to tell our friends the big news?”  
As answer Emma jumps up and drags her mother outside, Brook following right behind them.

* * *

They arrive in the council room where the war council is waiting as well as five mirrors, four of which are showing their allies. Regina, Robin and Roland greet them at the entrance.  
Wilby perks up from his spot in the corner when they enter, making room for Brook to join him.  
Her father rises to greet his wife and daughter before he turns to their guests.  
“Thank you all for coming. We are very glad to have you all here,” David tells them.  
“We won’t leave you in suspense,” Snow says as she strokes her stomach, accentuating the slight bump and making everyone gasp.  
“I’ll be a big sister!” Emma tells them grinning brightly.  
The room is filled with congratulations and well wishes. The council members rise to shake the family’s hands and her parents walk past the mirrors to receive well wishes from their royal allies and Emma’s playmates.  
Last to talk to them are Regina, Robin and Roland.  
“You’ll be a great big sister Em,” Roland, now almost eleven years old, sporting his brand new squire uniform, tells her.  
“Thanks, I hope I’ll be as great as you were to me,” she tells him.  
“Hey! Were? I’m still the greatest big brother ever,” he objects.  
Emma giggles and concedes. “You’re right.”  
After spending some time talking and hugging Simon clears his throat.  
“Your people are ready for your announcement your highnesses.”  
“Thank you Simon. Well Emma let’s go. Regina, Robin, Roland, will you join us?”  
“I’m going to help stand guard!” Roland offers eagerly.  
“That’s ab excellent idea!” Snow smiles brightly.  
“Thank you, everyone for your support,” David tells the others.  
“We’ll see you at Emma’s birthday ball,” he continues winking towards his daughter, who giggles excitedly. Finally she is old enough to be officially introduced to the realm.  
She is supposed to be a tour around the kingdom to meet with the subjects and at the ball she is to officially meet with all kinds of royals who make the journey just to see her.  
She can’t wait. It’s her first real royal duty and she is ready.  
As they walk towards the balcony with an escort of knights Emma looks back occasionally to smile at Roland who’s trying his best to imitate the stoic expression and perfect posture of the knights.  
Officially his sword fighting lessons will start after his next birthday, but they both knew he’s been taking some secret advanced classes. Neither could wait to see the look on their fathers’s faces when Roland started sword training already so far ahead of his older classmates.  
Brook is waddling proudly beside her and Wilby follows dutifully by her father’s side.

* * *

“Brook,” Emma whispers as the doors to the tower open. “Time to go bud.”  
Brook takes a running start and flies out the window, soon joined by his flock mates who were waiting on his signal on the roof.  
The swans in the kingdom have taken a special liking to Emma. Which makes her especially proud since her mother admitted to never getting along as well with swans as with other birds.  
It’s very useful too since the swans are excellent messengers to her friends. Even those who don’t spend all their time in the same realm as her.  
The swans are shortly followed by trumpets and Emma takes out her ‘magic’ stone.  
She looks behind her and sees one of the knights send Roland of to fetch something for them.  
Roland nods eagerly and hurries off, out of sight. Then the door closes behind her.  
She lets her parents lead her to the balcony. She casts a brief glance to Regina and Robin who send her encouraging smiles. She can do this. This is her most basic spell and nothing will go wrong.  
The thundering applause as they come into view of the people shakes her from her thoughts.  
She and her parents wave to their subjects for a minute before her father silences them with a gesture.  
“My people! Almost nine years ago, you accepted me as your king and my wife,” he takes Snow’s hand. “As your queen.”  
“Almost eight years ago, you welcomed our daughter as your crown princess,” Snow continues as both her parents lay a hand on Emma’s shoulders.  
“And now, we are pleased to announce that our family will grow once more!”  
Loud cheers echoed through the land at that announcement, once more silenced with a gesture from the king and queen.  
Emma takes a deep breath and speaks as clear as she can.  
“We wish for you to join us in three days of celebration. In music and food and drinks.” She raises the stone high above her head, making it glitter in the light of the sun. “May this new baby make our future shine brighter.”  
And she lets a light emanate from the stone, lighting up the entire palace without blinding anyone.  
This is received with a roaring applause as the royal family retreats from the balcony and disappears behind the curtains.

* * *

Emma grins brightly and stares at her still glowing piece of stone.  
“Do you think they liked it?” she whispers to her mother.  
“I know I did. That light looked so beautiful. How is it that we could look at it without hurting our eyes?” Snow wonders amazed.  
Emma is ready to explain- hoping this means her parents are going to start showing interest in her magic lessons now- but before she can say a word, her bright white light gets turned to a morbid green glow and she drops the stone out of shock with a scream.  
“I-It wasn’t me I promise!” she whispers as she looks at the now ordinary looking piece of rock on the ground.  
“Of course it wasn’t darling. It was me.”  
Emma looks up and sees a woman leaning against the closed door with an amused smirk, her eyes narrowing just a little as she looks her up and down. It’s almost as though she is sizing up her opponent, a look Emma knows from her sword fighting lessons. Though this woman looks several times meaner than any opponent she went against in the past. All those fights were just practice, in good fun even. She knows that this won’t be anything like that.  
The woman has striking red hair and lips, contrasting against her green skin.  
That isn’t what makes cold shivers run through the young princess’s body though.  
It’s the silence that followed her entrance. No unsheathing swords, no shouts of her name. No one grabbing her to pull her out of sight from the possible danger. No roaring fire from Regina… Nothing.  
Emma looks behind her and finds that her father’s hand is on the hilt of his sword, his gaze directed towards the woman. Her mother has one hand on her stomach and one reaching out for her.  
Regina has her hand half raised, ready to fight, Robin is reaching for his bow.  
But no one moves another inch. They aren’t even blinking.

* * *

Emma starts panicking. She isn’t good enough with a sword yet to take her father’s and defend herself. And she and Regina have only just started on defensive magic, let alone offensive spells.  
She turns back to the woman, trying her best to look brave.  
Outmatched or not, she has to try to save her family. No matter what.  
She takes a deep breath, ready to call the guards when the woman steps away from the door and in come two winged monkeys.  
“Don’t waste your breath on calling for your knights princess. They’re with me now.” The woman pets one of the monkeys with a wide smile, enjoying what she did to the young men who had vowed to protect this kingdom.  
Emma thanks her lucky stars that Roland was send away.  
“What do you want?” she demands stepping forward with a raised hand. She might’ve never used magic to defend herself before, but she isn’t going to let this woman do whatever she wants without trying to stop her. Her hand crackles with energy, ready to push the witch away.  
The woman smirks and in a poof of green smoke she is behind Emma and in front of her mother.  
Emma turns around and watches in horror as the woman lays a hand on her mother’s stomach.  
“Ah, yes, very good,” she says softly.  
“Seems I haven’t come all this way for nothing.” She looks up at Snow.  
“Now I want you to take good care of this little bundle. I’ll be back in a few months to pick him up alright?” Emma is frozen in horror. Why does this woman want to hurt her brother?  
The woman gets up and, after looking at the king’s determined face and gently stroking his cheek with a satisfied smirk, she turns to Regina.  
“Ah, and at long last we meet properly,” she whispers.  
“I just need to borrow something real quick. You don’t mind do you?”  
She raises her hand slowly, savoring the moment.  
“No! What are you doing? Stop!” Emma shouts desperately. Losing her concentration and therefore unable to maintain her spell. It fizzles out uselessly in her hand.

* * *

An arrow flies right past the woman’s nose and lodges into one of the wooden support beams.  
“Stay right there!” Roland’s voice echoes through the room.  
Emma turns towards the door and finds that Roland has not only knocked out the monkey minions but is wearing a quiver and holding another arrow ready to fire.  
The woman chuckles behind her and then reappears between the two children.  
“Roland run!” Emma pleads.  
“Missed me. Apparently you don’t have your father’s aim,” the woman muses.  
“That was a warning shot, even the wicked deserve one. Now leave my family alone!” he demands.  
“Roland just run!” Emma insists. Knowing neither of them was a match for the woman without their families support.  
“Don’t worry Em,” Roland assures her. “I’ll protect you and our family.”  
“Aw, so loyal and brave. Let’s see how far that gets you when you’re a…” she cuts herself of as something hits her in the back of her head, hard.  
She turns around with a furious look in her eyes.  
There stands Emma, now on one shoe and in the process of taking of the other, really wishing she’d at least brought her slingshot with her.  
“Why you little brat!” the woman hisses. “You’ll regret that! Let’s see what a little monkey boy looks like!”  
At that moment the transformed guards seem to have regained consciousness and grab Roland from either side. The witch turns back and raises her hand, ready to cast her spell.  
“Emma get out!” he calls out, praying that Regina taught her to teleport.  
“Leave him alone!” Emma insists, tears streaming down her face, her desperation to save her family building up in the hand still holding the shoe.  
“Whoever you are… Just. Leave. Us. Alone!” She throws the footwear and as it makes contact with the witch an explosion of magic cascades trough the room. It knocks back her frozen family and the monkeys, making them release their holds on Roland. It nearly knocks over the green witch, who turns back to her former prisoners once she regains her balance.

* * *

Finally Emma can hear her family ready themselves for battle and feel her mother dragging her behind her. While a few minutes ago she would’ve insisted to face the threat with them, now she is gratefully hugging her mother’s leg. Glad she isn’t alone anymore.  
“Who are you and what do you want?” Regina demands, fireball at the ready.  
The woman grins. “Why, you’ll find out soon sis. And the name’s Zelena.”  
And then the woman and her new minions are gone.

* * *

Emma is still shaking as she watches Robin and Regina rush to Roland who hasn’t gotten up from being thrown to the ground yet.  
“Did I hurt him?” she whispers. Robin shakes his head.  
“One of the monkeys grazed him though. Are you alright son?” Robin asks gently.  
Roland finally gets up and holds his arm where the fabric is torn. He nods to his father and smiles at Emma. “I’m fine, just a little blown away by your magic,” he jokes. Emma and her parents walk over to them. Everyone feeling the need to stay close together right now. Emma can feel her father’s hand on her shoulder. Squeezing just a little tighter than he normally would.  
“I should have practiced defensive spells more. Then I would’ve been some help,” Emma tells them apologetically.  
“Emma. You just saved us. Who knows what that woman would have done to Regina if you and Roland hadn’t kept her away?” Snow praises her as she kneels down and looks her over to make sure Zelena didn’t manage to harm her.  
“I have a few ideas, and none of them are very appealing. Thank you. Both of you,” Regina supplies as she pulls both children in a hug.  
“Was that woman really your sister?” Emma whispers.  
“I don’t know… as far as I’m aware I don’t have any siblings. I remember wishing for one every day as a little girl,” Regina tells her.  
“Well, she clearly can learn a thing or two about being a good sibling from us, right Em?” Roland jokes once more, smiling through the pain, sweat starting to drip down his forehead as he struggles to stay up.  
“Roland?” Emma has barely uttered his name or he breaks free from the family huddle grasping at his head.  
“Son?” Robin shouts, Regina reaching out for him, but -apparently realizing what’s going on- he runs out into the hallway and jumps out of the nearest window.  
“Roland!” Everyone yells, but soon they see a new flying monkey taking off after his mistress. The family is torn between being horrified at the transformation and relieved that the young squire didn’t jump to his death.  
“That witch… Sister or not, she will pay dearly for this!” Regina growls.  
“What does she want from us?” David exclaims frustrated.  
“What is she planning to do with our baby?” Snow chokes as she presses Emma closer with one arm and wraps her other around her stomach.  
“Doesn’t matter, what matters is what are we going to do to stop her?” Robin demands.

* * *

Sadly no one gets a clear answer to their questions for a long while.  
The news that the dagger is stolen and the fact that the Dark one is no longer in his cell, doesn’t help matters. Especially since both Belle and the surviving guard, insist they saw a winged monkey leave the scene.  
After that news, Regina and Robin stay in the Charming Palace. Every day they and Emma’s parents meet with the war council and their allies, trying to figure out what to do.  
Regina can tell them that whatever else she is, Zelena is definitely the wicked witch from Ozz.  
Which means she is in an entirely different realm.  
Belle immediately got started on assembling all the information on the realm she could find, hoping to learn more about it’s magic and ways to defeat the witch.  
The allied forces and the council can’t seem to agree on any course of action though.  
Do they stay and prepare for Zelena’s return?  
Do they take the fight to Ozz?  
If the latter, how are they even going to get there? The magic hat is quickly dismissed as it wouldn’t allow them to take any freed prisoners back home.  
If they get there, who should come?  
An army or a covert group? If a smaller group, who should go and who should stay behind.  
“In short,” Emma concludes as she talks to her friends in her vanity, almost two months after Roland disappeared. “They are going in circles.”  
“I’m sorry Em. That must be frustrating,” Alexandra offers.  
“Mermaids can travel between realms, why don’t we just sent an army?” Melody suggests.  
“We can’t ask any of your mother’s people to fight our fights for us Mel. But it’s sweet to offer.”  
“Then what do you want us to do?” Philip asks.  
“Well… first I need to show you all something…”

* * *

The next day goes the same as any other day since Zelena made her first appearance.  
After breakfast Emma is left with a chaperone in her room and guards protecting the door as her parents go back to the council room to debate on the best course of action.  
It doesn’t take long before something someone suggests instigates a debate. This time however everyone is silenced, not by a frustrated monarch, or a fairy pleading for calm, but by the heavy oaken doors being slammed open. Everyone looks up, shocked to find Emma marching into the war council room dressed in her travel clothes, chaperone and guards nowhere in sight, a travel bag at her hip, her slingshot and munition on the other side and her hair tied back in a braid with a red ribbon. She looks ready to go to war.  
Most are still trying to figure out how such a small girl could have made such a big entrance.  
Those who do know are wondering why she looks like she’s about to embark on a quest. In all honesty, they dread the answer.  
“Are we alone?” she asks and before anyone can wonder who she’s talking to young prince and princesses appear besides their parents.  
“Doors are locked and windows are shut!” Alexandra reports followed by nods from the others.  
Emma nods and walks over to stand beside her parents.

* * *

“We’re done talking in circles. Dad is right. If we go with an army, it’ll just be a big target for her to make new monkeys from. Not to mention we’ll never get a portal big enough to fit one trough. And we can’t wait for her to come out. If we face her it has to be on our terms. Our best bet is a small team, preferably of people she wants something from, that way the chance is smaller she’ll turn them into minions, at least straight away. That means, mom, dad, Regina and me to start with. I suggest taking at least one more ally as back up. I vote Red since she easily adapts to unfamiliar surroundings…” David and Snow look at each other in confusion. Emma was supposed to be guarded when they weren't with her. How did she still manage to listen in on their meetings?  
“Wait a minute princess,” Grumpy interrupts. “Why are you coming along?”  
“I’m not staying behind!” Robin ads with a hand on his wife’s shoulder.  
Emma takes a deep breath. “Someone needs to look after the kingdom, be ready to defend it should we make Zelena run back here,” Emma replies to Robin’s objection. Regina pulls him down and whispers something in his ear which makes him calm down and nod in agreement.

* * *

“Remind me why your mother and you should come along?” king David asks tensely.  
“Mom should come so we can all protect her and the baby, instead of sitting here, waiting for Zelena to show up. Not to mention that she’ll insist she comes along to face Zelena. As for me. One, this is my family too you can’t put me in my room to wait for you to return. And two, didn’t you notice that Zelena never used her magic against me?” Emma offers.  
“She didn’t?” Pinocchio, a teenager now, asks confused.  
“She didn’t even try,” Emma informs the council.  
“Why?” Blue asks in astonishment.  
Emma gets up on the table and walks to it’s center so everyone can see her clearly.  
She thrusts her hand in the air and lets of a burst of light magic that briefly fills the room with an overwhelming feeling of hope. Her audience stares at her in awe.  
“Because, I have magic.”

* * *

[Now we're getting somewhere](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/53045602)


	20. II A way to ozz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Convincing her family to take her along on this journey is just the first step of Emma's plan to save her family. Next, she has to get them a way to reach Ozz.

**Princess Emma**

**IV Something wicked this way comes**

**II A way to Ozz**

It takes a while before everyone settles down from this revelation.  
Her friends are all excited to see the magic she told them about the evening before in action.  
Snow and Charming are still a little dazed from their daughter’s revelation that she is planning on joining them.  
Blue is ecstatic about this news. Already offering her wisdom to teach the young girl.  
Emma smiles gratefully. “I appreciate it, but I already have a teacher,” she tells her with a glance at Regina, who is touched by her loyalty. Still she has learned to acknowledge when she can’t do something alone. And in this instance, she needs to think of what is best for Emma.  
“It might be smart to learn some things from Blue Emma. She is more adept in light magic than I am.” Blue is surprised that Regina will allow her to be part of this, clearly treasured, part of Regina and Emma’s relationship.  
“Hold on! Is no one going to address the fact that the young princess thinks that knowing a few magic tricks qualify her to put her life on the line?” Grumpy protests.  
“Thank you Grumpy. You’re staying here Emma. End of the discussion,” David insists.  
Emma narrows her eyes and uses her magic to summon Shaw’s hunting knife to her hand, as she drops it in front of her shocked father she goes for her slingshot, shoots a pellet up and hit it with a magic blast, almost effortlessly. She turns back to her astonished parents.  
“It’s more than a few tricks. I’ve spent most of my time in the library studying magic and the rest in Regina’s study practicing spells. Today I managed to outwit not just Mulan, but every guard on my way to the throne room. And I’m the only one with a real weapon against the wicked witch’s magic! I’m coming along,” Emma objects.  
Snow clears her throat and addresses the allied kings and queens.  
“The matter of our daughter’s possible involvement aside,” she says with a pointed glance to her daughter, warning her not to object right now.  
“It seems that it’s indeed best to go with my husband’s plan of a covert group. We thank you for your support the past few months, but we ask that you let us discuss the matter as a family from this point on. We will inform you once the witch is defeated.” The kings and queens nod and leave from sight with their children, to which Amin ends the connection.

* * *

Snow sighs and sits back down, stroking her stomach thoughtfully. Wondering what kind of cruel joke fate is playing on her. That morning she would’ve said she’ll pay any price for her son’s life. And now her daughter decided that that price was her safety.  
Announcing her gift and demonstrating her talent so openly puts a permanent end to the protection secrecy gave her. People will start overhearing hushed conversations in hallways and soon the whole kingdom will have heard rumors of the magically gifted princes.  
Is she really expected to let her little girl come along on this dangerous quest? With an enemy who’s well aware of her magic…  
“If you want to protect me, the best thing to do is to keep me in sight,” Emma hurries, before someone can start telling her reasons why she shouldn’t go.  
“And if I can somehow protect the baby from Zelena, shouldn’t I stay close to mother anyway?” She looks at her father with pleading eyes. He knows she has a good point and he knows that leaving her or her mother behind would make leaving the realm impossible for him. Not seeing them healthy and safe at any given time would drive him mad.  
Still he wishes he could shield Emma, if no one else, from this whole ordeal altogether.  
Seeing her father slowly resign to her decision, she turns to her mother.  
“Don’t tell me you’re considering letting daddy go without you.”  
Snow chuckles sadly, her daughter knows her too well. Over the years David and her had gone on a few perilous missions for the good of the kingdom. Each time it was hard leaving Emma home, but it was even harder to let David go into danger alone. She can’t imagine staying home now that her husband is planning a trip to a different realm. Still, in this case, she would if it was to protect their daughter and son. The possibility to keep the family together makes too much sense not to at least consider it.  
Emma, satisfied with the thoughtful look on her mother’s face, turns to Regina and Robin, waiting for them to argue.  
“Don’t look at me, I know better than to try and force you to stay when you don’t want to. Not when it’s clearly this important to you to go.” Regina smiles weakly as memories of her own mother’s controlling tendencies fill her mind. Robin pulls his wife closer to comfort her.  
Snow and Charming look at each other. They too have heard about Cora’s parenting style. The last thing they want is to be like her in any way. Still, does that mean they should allow their daughter to join them on the journey? It’s dangerous, but their family is always stronger when together. They don’t know what this other realm will be like, how long they’ll be gone. Can they ask their daughter to sit there and wait? Not knowing what is happening? Not knowing if her family will ever return to her…  
Would shielding her lead to her thinking she can’t rely on them when she faces her own battles later in life?  
Emma beams, happy to have Regina’s blessing. Confident that the discussion is over, at least for now, she gets off the table and addresses the council as a whole.  
“Alright,” she states with a clap of her hands. “Now can we get going? There’s still a lot to do before we can go to Ozz.”  
“You say that as if you know how we’ll get there?” Ruby, now sitting on her grandmother’s old chair at the council table next to Shaw, points out.  
Emma’s eyes twinkle. “I do.”

* * *

The Charmings are confused when Emma leads them, Regina, Robin and Red to the harbor town a stone’s throw away from their castle. They know Regina takes Emma and Roland there every once in a while to play with some local children. What they don’t understand is how any friends they’ve made here can help them get to a different realm. Has she met the daughter of a merchant who has a magic bean?  
Emma leads them to the harbor and stops in an alleyway that leads to the docks.  
“Before I go… I need you to trust me and wait until I come to get you,” she instructs them with a quick, pleading look to Regina.  
“I’ll keep them here,” she promises.  
David looks between the two in alarm. “Who is her friend?” he asks with a shaky voice as he walks towards the end of the alley and glances around the corner. Upon seeing the large ship with the unmistakable flag he feels his blood run cold.  
“No!” he insists.  
“Daddy, if you’d just let me-” Emma starts, but David pulls her by the arm, ready to walk away.  
“David what’s going on?” Snow frowns as she grabs his arm trying to get him to release his grip.  
“Our daughter is going to talk to a pirate!” he tells his wife. Snow’s eyes widen and her arm goes limp against her side as that information sinks in.  
“Daddy, let me explain!” Emma insists trying to remove her arm from his grip herself.  
“David, let her go. She knows what she’s doing,” Regina insists.  
“You knew?” David hisses incredulously, dropping Emma’s arm so he can turn to his stepmother in law. Regina just nods, not intimidated by his protective father glare.  
“I vetted him, trust me, he won’t harm a hair on Emma’s head. If I thought he would, he wouldn’t be breathing right now. The captain has a soft spot for children it seems,” Regina tells them, sounding kind of reluctant to admit she hadn’t been able to find a fault in the pirate’s resolve to keep his promises. Getting her son back is more important than her pessimism though. So for now, she is willing to have hope that the captain comes through for Emma when doing so means taking risks.  
“Captain…” David is speechless. His daughter has spent time with a pirate captain. He thought she had befriended a young deckhand or something, but a captain…  
How have they allowed this to happen?  
“Daddy, captain Jones can get us to Ozz. I promise,” Emma whispers.  
“You just have to trust me, please.”  
David looks at his daughter’s pleading eyes and then at Regina’s reassuring nod.  
“If he wanted to harm her he had plenty opportunity in the past,” she tells him.  
“Fine. But don’t be too long,” he tells her reluctantly, really wishing he could stay by hers side. But this mission is too important, if Emma thinks she needs to talk to the captain alone before introducing her family, then they have to follow her lead right now.  
“Careful sweetie,” Snow whispers.  
“It’s fine mom. Nothing bad can happen when Killian is with me.”  
And with that she runs off towards the ship.

* * *

“How long has she been visiting him?” Robin asks as his wife produces her pocket mirror.  
“Almost two years,” she admits while performing a spell to allow them to listen in on Emma’s conversation.  
“And Roland…”  
“Was with her for every visit she made after befriending the crew,” Regina confirms. Robin doesn’t like that his wife kept this secret from him, but understands that if both Emma and Roland asked her to do so, she wouldn’t go against it, no matter what she thought of the matter. Once they have their son back they’ll talk about this as a family though.  
It’s not long before they hear a chorus of “Lady Swan!” echo over the docks.  
Somehow the delight in their voices at spotting her only frustrates David more. He hates that pirates are familiar with his daughter and apparently have a nickname for her.  
“Captain! Our duckling is here!” one voice shouts.  
“Emma!” The masculine voice sounds elated and moments later a delighted laugh David recognizes echoes through the air. That’s the way his little girl laughs when she urges her horse to go faster than she’s supposed to go, when she runs through the hallways after pulling a prank on the dwarves. This is Emma when she’s carefree and excited. Snow lays a hand on his arm.  
“She’s partly raised by a former villain. Of course she’s willing to get to know people regardless of their reputation. And of course this man and his crew have taken to her because of it.  
This isn’t a bad thing. Not if it allows us passage to Ozz to save Roland and our son and protect our daughter,” she reminds him.  
David nods. He can decide on whether or not Emma is ever allowed to leave the castle unsupervised again after they return from Ozz. Now he has to focus on protecting his family from a greater threat.  
“Happy birthday luv!” the pirate says, making the family freeze.  
“Her birthday ball… With everything else going on…” Snow whispers, horrified as she counts back and realizes that the pirate is right about today’s date.  
“We haven’t even congratulated her,” David realizes defeated. How could today sneak up on them like this? How could they allow that witch to distract them enough to lose sight of what should have been such a momentous occasion? Today he should be dancing with his daughter on her first royal ball. Not hide in an alley as he listens to her bargaining with a pirate.  
“She didn’t say anything either,” Regina offers, trying to soothe all of their consciences. Not that it helps much.  
“The poor child probably forgot herself,” Robin mutters, knowing full well how easily Emma can forget about everything else when she’s got something in her head.  
Even so, he too, feels guilty. His worry for his son has consumed every waking moment. Meanwhile Emma has not only been making some actual plans to retrieve him, she also made considerable effort to cheer him and Regina up during these past two months. To keep up his hope that he will see Roland soon. It makes him more determined than ever to do as Emma asked of him and trust the others to return Roland home while he watches over the kingdom in their absence.  
He can trust that the others will succeed without him. They have an excellent tracker and marksman in Snow. They need him here as a leader and protector.

* * *

“You remembered!” Emma gasps in awe, which only makes them all feel worse.  
“Of course I did. Want your present now?” the captain asks.  
“You got me a present!? You shouldn’t have!” she exclaims.  
“Perhaps not, but I want to make sure you know how much we all appreciate our youngest sailor… Speaking of which, where is our other star pupil?”  
Robin looks to Regina. “Roland took up some extra lessons to advance in his studies,” she admits.  
Robin nods in understanding, though he wishes his son would’ve come to him if he wanted serious sword fighting lessons instead of the mock fights he’d had with David and him in the past.  
“A long story… I need a favor. Would your employer be really mad if you made a little detour? I’ll arrange extra provisions to take back in compensation,” Emma asks.  
“I don’t know luv… Depends on what you need our help for,” he replies, sounding nervous.  
“Just you will do. The rest of the crew can take a day or so off and stretch their land legs for a bit.”  
Approving whispers sweep through the crew, making the pirate captain chuckle.  
“Clever girl. Just turned eight and you already know how to hustle a pirate. Well I can’t deny my crew some well-deserved time off.” The crew cheers and starts leaving the ship.  
The eavesdropping family makes sure they aren’t seen by the passing pirates.  
“…think the captain is a bit too willing to do the girl’s bidding?” one voice whispers.  
“Don’t you even think about suggesting something like that! You heard the lady. The captain will be compensated for the detour, not to mention the treasure he might find on the way. The Swan has yet to bring us anything other than good fortune,” another insists.  
David is fuming. “We are going to have to talk with her about how it is that these pirates know her,” he whispers to his wife, who lays a calming hand on his back, hoping to soothe his temper enough to keep him civil.  
“So lass, you got rid of me crew. What brings you here all by yourself? Is this about what we discussed last time I saw you?” There is hope in the captain’s voice.  
“No, sorry, but I’ll keep looking! And sorry for not showing up for two months only to reappear with a favor to ask,” Emma says earnestly.  
“You don’t owe me a visit Swan. Your letters, although brief, were much appreciated as always. And you should know, I’ll do anything for the Princess,” he assures her sincerely, annoying David to no end. It would be easier to justify his dislike for the man if he wasn’t so genuine with his daughter.

* * *

“A witch from another realm took Roland and she’s threatening my entire family, including my unborn sibling. We need to get to Ozz and face her before she can harm anyone. Can you help us?”  
There is a moment of silence. “Your knight was taken?” Another pause.  
Robin wonders at the title for a moment. Tries to imagine the captain using it in conversation with his son the way he calls Emma ‘Swan’. He chooses to find the thought that his son is held in some regard by the pirate comforting. It means he’ll be extra motivated to help them.  
“Getting you and your family to Ozz will be tricky,” captain Jones tells her frankly after a moment’s consideration.  
“We’ll need a bean… And… Something that is truly one of a kind…” They can hear movement, someone opening a door and two people going down a short flight of stairs. The captain is taking the princess to his room.  
“Ever since we talked about me returning to a truly free life I’ve revisited some of my old studies… You know, plan beyond my quest.” Everyone looks at Regina who shakes her head, indicating that it isn’t a conversation for right now.  
“So I found a couple of objects that might come in handy on such journeys.” A book is opened.  
“This, can help you navigate a portal created by something other than a magic bean…” he explains.  
“The problem is, it’s in the giant’s castle. Which means it’s hard to get to. Magical protections, being the least of our worries there. Luckily…” The sound of something hard tapping against leather.  
“I have encountered a couple of interesting trades. There’s a wizard just beyond your friend Alexandra’s castle who was willing to give me these in exchange for some ingredients only I could acquire.”  
“What do they do?” she whispers curiously.  
“I’ll tell you that once we get your parents and godmother here, I assume they are listening in somehow?” Emma giggles while her family stands there dumbfounded. How long has he been aware that they were listening along?  
“I’ll go get them,” she tells him and Regina breaks the connection, knowing nothing interesting will be said until they are on the ship.  
Emma appears in the alley and smiles. “The captain will speak with you now,” she announces proudly.

* * *

They follow her to the admittedly magnificent ship that is docked in the harbor. David frowns at how easily Emma boards the ship. It’s clear she is used to it’s wonky surface, comfortable with it even.  
As they gather on the deck Emma whistles her tune, a melody that has drifted through the hallways of the castle since Emma’s second birthday.  
A chuckle comes from below deck and a whistle responds, finishing the melody, before the door to the captain’s quarters opens and the group tenses. David moves in front of Snow and Robin’s hand itches to get his bow out. Red is on high alert, but withholds a snarl. Even Regina seems cautious.  
They know the man is alone and poses no immediate threat. But as his heavy boots come up the stairs, his long leather cloak flowing around him, his bright blue eyes looking up with a mischievous glint that only serves to make his devil may care smile more mocking than it already was.  
Everything about him, his attire, his attitude and the hook he has in place of his left hand, scream dangerous. Especially since they all know captain Hook by reputation.  
The only one who doesn’t seem to be fazed by him is the young princess.  
She approaches the captain and salutes him as though he was a naval officer and she was his second in command.  
“Captain! Permission to speak freely!” Her tone and cadence is flawless, though the lights in her eyes belie her excitement at taking charge on this adventure.  
“Permission granted sailor Swan,” the pirate replies. His posture straight, his face serious, his attention fully on the young girl before him. Only a gentle tug at his lips clues the family watching in on his fondness for their princess.  
“May I introduce my family. On their behalf I wish to thank you for your help in our quest.”  
Only now does the captain turn his gaze to his guests.  
A slight raise of his eyebrows is all it takes for the king and queens to know that he doesn’t care about their rank.  
He bows to them with just a bit too much flair to truly be respectful.  
“Your highnesses, it’s my privilege to welcome you on my vessel. Welcome to the Jolly Roger.” A smirk lets them know that he enjoys reminding them just where they are. With a name like that, they can’t hope to even pretend that they aren’t on a pirate ship.  
“I am her humble captain. Killian Jones, at your service. Or, as most have taken to calling me,” he holds up the metal attachment “Hook.”  
Emma picks up on the pirate’s subtle ridicule and crosses her arms with a shake of her head.  
“Killian, please be nice. This is my family you’re talking to,” she reminds him with a playful smirk.  
Hook’s face loses all traces of mild hostility or ridicule as he turns to his youngest guest.  
“Apologies Swan, that was bad form.” It’s astonishing to see how the pirate finds his manners whenever addressing Emma directly. Is he truly that fond of her? Or is this part of some kind of manipulative game he’s playing?

* * *

Hook turns back to the adults and lets his gaze drift over their faces once more. His attention gets caught by Robin and he walks over to him, offering his hand in greeting.  
“I take it you are young sir Roland’s father?” His voice is calm and even soothing. There is an undertone of respect in his voice that only serves to confuse them more.  
“I am,” Robin confirms, not taking the offered hand just yet, instead he looks at it with suspicion.  
Captain Hook doesn’t seem fazed by the former outlaw’s reluctance. He just keeps offering his hand.  
“That’s a fine young man you’re raising. Even when I first met him he showed good form. He was ready to defend Emma even when faced with a ship full of pirates.” Jones chuckles at the memory, a fond smile breaking free before his expression returns to the carefully guarded semi-polite smirk.  
Robin relaxes and shakes the captain’s good hand.  
“I assure you. Your son will be returned to you and the miscreant who took him shan’t escape.”  
“You have my gratitude.” Robin’s voice sounds like he’s about to lose composure and the pirate nods in understanding before letting go, leaving the man his dignity.  
“And you…” Killian smirks as he approaches the king. “The shepherd who toppled king Hendrik’s legacy.”  
David frowns. “You must have me confused. I defeated king George…”  
Hook dismisses his argument with a gesture of his hand.  
“Yes that’s the man you defeated, but he is the descendant of the wicked king that sent me onto the path of piracy to begin with.” Emma nods eagerly and tugs at her father’s arm to get his attention.  
“King Hendrik sent Killian to retrieve a cure, but he discovered it was actually poison. Really dangerous poison! If he hadn’t found out and turned against his kingdom, king Hendrik would’ve been powerful enough to wipe out any enemy. Who knows what would’ve become of the enchanted forest with such a tyrant,” Emma summarizes. David looks up and takes in the man again. He doesn’t look like he’s any older than him, probably a few years younger even. Hook catches what the king is doing and chuckles.  
“I know I still have a youthful glow about me, but I looked this old when I met your daughter and when I saw the fireworks announcing her birth. I haven’t really aged in well over a century in this realm. And when you count others, I’ve lived three,” he explains.  
Red is about to ask the pirate how he did that, but Charming has had enough of the introductions.  
“Are you going to tell us how to get to Ozz or not?” he demands.  
Killian raises his brow and looks at Emma who nods. “Daddy is right. Every second we spend talking pleasantries is a second Zelena gets the chance to find out we’re coming for her.”  
At Emma’s confirmation the captain gets serious.

* * *

“Alright.” He motions for the family to follow him to his quarters. He leads them to the desk where a map of the realm is spread out. Emma joins him at his side behind the desk, ignoring her mother’s attempt at pulling her back towards them.  
“Well luv, care to show your parents where we’re going?” the captain offers.  
Without hesitation Emma finds the village on the map and then follows an imaginary line as she whispers directions from memory before pointing to a clearing in a vast forest.  
“That’s where the beanstalk is right Killian?” she asks eagerly.  
“Well done lass. On top of it we’ll find the compass and if we are really lucky, a bean. If not the latter there are still places on the ground we could acquire one, but I’d rather not have you and your family interact with those types so if it comes to that, I’ll do the negotiating alright luv?” Emma nods in understanding.  
“Now. The beanstalk is enchanted to keep people from climbing it. These cuffs” a tap to the object in question. “will allow 2 people to climb up. Once there the plan is to find what we need and get out. Preferably without the giant that lives there discovering there are intruders in his home.”  
“We’ll let you know if we need further assistance,” David states as he holds out his hand. Killian looks at it frowning. “I’ll take the cuffs,” the king clarifies.  
The captain narrows his eyes at the outstretched hand and pushes it down with the tip of his hook.  
“No mate. I’ll be coming with you. You’ll need an experienced pirate to find the compass. Not to mention my crew expects me to return with treasures as well as provisions as a reward for my assistance. I’ll gladly take some of the giant’s gold as compensation for my information and aid.”  
Killian speaks in a low voice his bright blue eyes staring at the king coldly.  
Emma looks between her father and the captain nervously.  
“I knew it. You aren’t in this to help Emma or save Roland. You just hope to get some treasure out of it!” David accuses him. Jones simply raises an eyebrow.  
“I’m a pirate mate. The reason I acquired these cuffs is to loot the giant’s treasure. If I give them to you, even if you return them promptly, I might forever lose the element of surprise. So I will help you save your family, but I won’t deny my crew a treasure that could provide us all with a real bed and decent meals for at least the next year.”  
David is taken aback. He didn’t expect him to invoke his crew’s wellbeing.  
“Daddy… I promise, by the end of our adventure you’ll agree that Killian deserves his reward. I know he did some bad things in the past, but no one here can say they never did anything they regret. When you were on the run, king George’s soldiers were just doing their jobs and earning money to feed their families. I know you had to fight for your life, your love and your freedom, but so did Killian.”  
David is left speechless. When did Emma become so wise? Snow lays a hand on her husband’s arm.  
“If nothing else, we can trust Emma’s instincts,” she reminds him.  
David sighs in defeat. “Alright, but I’m keeping my eye on you, pirate,” he sneers.  
Hook bows. “If you insist, your highness.”  
Emma smiles and looks back at the map. “We’ll reach the beanstalk fastest by water…” she deduces.  
Killian is positively beaming with pride as he nods in confirmation.  
“Indeed luv. It’s almost a day’s travel by carriage, but only six hours if we take the Jolly, plus a one hour journey from the coast to the clearing. That all is of course without the climb of four hours each way. And however long it’ll take us to get what we need. So all together it’s a matter of 28 hours in travel alone by land versus 15 if we take to the sea for as long as we can.”  
Emma turns to her parents. “It seems like we’ll need the captain’s help for at least a bit longer anyway.” Snow chuckles at her daughter’s cheeky tone. It’s a relief to discover that despite everything, their daughter hasn’t lost her spark.  
“Say princess, how did you know where the beanstalk was?” Red wonders.  
Emma shrugs. “Jacque the giant slayer is one of my favorite stories,” she explains casually.  
“Killian always describes the location of his stories, so I know the directions by heart by now.”  
Red looks at the captain. “So the infamous captain Hook likes telling stories to little children?” she teases. Jones just quirks his brow and approaches the werewolf. Once he is just inside her personal space, the woman refusing to step back, he tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “Let’s just say I have a hard time denying a pretty lady what she wants.” He gives her a playful wink before moving past her to return to the deck.  
“Swan!” he calls and Emma rushes behind him, followed by her family.

* * *

They find her standing beside the captain at the helm.  
“I take it none of your family has sailing experience?” he questions.  
“No sir!” she replies honestly.  
“Well teach them what you can. You are officially my first mate for this journey. Make them make themselves useful alright luv?” he instructs and Emma nods before turning to her family.  
“We’ll depart within the hour,” she declares before turning to Robin.  
“I’m afraid this is where we part ways. We’ll bring Roland home soon,” she promises.  
Robin smiles and walks over to hug Emma. “I know spitfire. Give that witch what she deserves and look after Regina for me alright?” Emma nods returning the hug.  
Robin gives his wife a lingering kiss before slowly walking away, holding onto her hand until they are truly out of arms reach. Jones looks at the display of affection with a thoughtful look.  
Emma proceeds to put each of her family members at a certain spot on the jolly and tell them the instructions Jones will call out when they need to perform a certain task.  
She does an excellent job of delegating, finding the right person for the right task with little to no effort. She assures everyone that unless they find themselves in unexpectedly rough waters or facing strong winds, they’ll be able to do as they please for most of the journey.  
“Alright landlubbers! Everyone to your posts, we are leaving port!” Hook shouts across the deck.  
The ship was a whirlwind of activity with Emma darting about, correcting her family where needed and encouraging them whenever possible.  
Soon they are sailing the open sea and Emma tells them how to secure the course before assuring them that the ship can take care of itself for a bit. Which they soon learn actually means that she needs only two pairs of hands to remain on course. Emma asks Red’s help for the tasks she’s too small to perform, allowing her parents and Regina to talk privately.  
David approaches the captain, a question on his mind.  
“You are one of the most infamous pirates in the realm. Why hasn’t Hood apprehended you yet?” He demands. Captain Hook shrugs casually, his gaze on the waters before them.  
“He thrives in the woods, I at sea. I have centuries experience on him and I’ve been polishing my moral compass lately,” he lists before shouting some instructions to Emma which are received with an “Aye aye Captain!”  
“You need not worry your majesty. I draw the line at harming children if I can help it. And failing this mission in any way, would cause harm to Emma, Roland and the little one in your wife’s womb. Therefore you can be assured that I’ll be the princess’ humble servant on this journey.” The promise sounds genuine, but David doesn’t miss the fact that the pirate is making a strong distinction between Emma and the rest of them.  
It leaves him uneasy but unable to object. So instead he joins Regina and Snow on the lower portion of the deck where they are watching Emma instruct Red on how to help her execute the captain’s orders. Their journey is just getting started.

* * *

[A long way since](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/53281258)


	21. What kind of man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Charmings are still uncertain on whether or not they can trust this man with such an important mission. Perhaps Regina can convince them that he will fulfill his promises to Emma.

**Princess Emma**

**IV Something wicked this way comes**

**III What kind of man**

“Regina… Are you sure?” Snow whispers, her eyes darting between the captain at the helm and their daughter who is now standing at the utmost front of the ship, holding onto the ropes and seemingly enjoying the wind on her face.  
“Like I said, I tested him,” Regina reminds them.  
“How?” Red, who just joined them, presses.

2 Years Ago, Enchanted Forest

Killian returned to the Jolly early and alone tonight.  
Not by lack of willing dames, never that, but by lack of interest on his part.  
24 hours ago he’d met the young princess and while he stood by his decision not to take the bribe her godmother offered him, he still felt a bit uneasy by her promise. Unsure if he would pass the test when it came. He never had in the past.  
He shook his head, tomorrow they’d be gone from this place and he needn’t worry about any of it until his next visit. If the lass even found a way to visit him again. He wasn’t going to hold his breath. If she did show, he’d be surprised. Princesses and pirates don’t mix. Then again, they don’t usually mix with dragons and evil queens, so perhaps the young Swan was an exception.  
She seemed like the kind of girl that forged her own path in life.  
He absentmindedly touched the new accessory that had appeared on his desk that morning, now attached to the inside chest pocket of his coat. Apparently Emma had crafted him a bracelet of a few wooden beads with simplistic engravings of a ship, a hook, a swan and even skull and crossbones respectively. On a seemingly random loose string she added what he assumed was the pellet that had cut his cheek the other night. Only when he picked it up had he discovered that the pellet floated and always pointed in the same direction. Towards the castle.  
The note that accompanied it said:  
‘Sorry for hurting you. Hope this helps you find your way back soon,’  
Every time he thought of it a smile tugged at his lips. If someone had told him any of this a week ago he would’ve killed them for suggesting he’d go soft over a princess of all people.  
He scratched behind his ear, a tic that he thought he’d quit ages ago, as he tried to shake off these thoughts. He was too sober for this. With that in mind he made his way to his liquor cabin, planning on drinking one last glass before getting some sleep. Tomorrow they’d set sail after all.

* * *

He barely walked two steps into his quarters when he spun around in reaction to the sensation of being watched. The tip of his sword found the throat of the coward he’d chased off the night before.  
He had a dagger raised, ready to plunge it into his back or, as he was standing now, chest.  
If the man had followed through with his action, he most likely would have succeeded. Yet he was frozen solid in the position Killian found him in, his eyes wide with fear.  
“Didn’t I tell you what would happen if I ever saw your ugly mug again!” he bellowed, ready to run the man trough when he realized that his opponent was paralyzed, not by fear, but magic. He hesitated. What the bloody hell?  
“Impressive show of restraint captain. I assumed you’d kill him on sight,” a bemused voice came from behind. He turned around, resisting the urge to point his sword at the woman who had the gall to sit herself on his desk, knowing it wouldn’t do him any good.  
The once evil queen’s dark eyes locked onto him, her legs crossed, her dark blue satin dress flowing around them, a stern ponytail tied at the top of her head and one hand raised to maintain her spell.  
She was smirking at him and they both knew that she was in control right now.  
“Was this your bloody test?” he asked as he sheeted his sabre, not impressed.  
“Let’s call it a warm up,” Queen Regina allowed with a smirk before waving her had. Killian looked back just in time to see the man disappear.  
“He came here of his own free will though. He was truly planning to kill you before you had the chance to kill him. Don’t worry he’s in a cell in my dungeon now, awaiting trial,” she explains.  
“The king and queen can’t know about your... heroics. Since they can’t know Emma snuck outside yesterday night. If by chance you ever meet them, you are not to mention anything about what happened unprompted. Understood?” Killian nodded. Emma would no doubt face consequences should her parents find out about her little exploration of the village. And he’d rather not be the reason she gets locked up in a tower or something along those lines.  
“So, what terrifying quest have you planned for me to prove the nature of my intentions?” he mutters as he, once more, scratches behind his ear. That blasted habit was really back to stay it seemed.  
“Oh, it’s simple enough,” she promised, which only made Hook more nervous.  
“Join me on a trip Captain,” she instructed and with a wave of her hand they were in a carriage which was making it’s way along the coast.

* * *

“Don’t worry, you will be back on your ship in time to leave, though you might have to miss your beauty sleep.” Hook quirked his brow and hid his unease behind a cocky grin. He got comfortable in his seat, his right leg folded on top of his left, his elbow planted on his right knee so he could hold his face in his hand.  
“I assure you your majesty. I don’t need much to maintain this devilishly handsome face,” he drawled softly, stroking his chin seductively.  
The queen was not amused, but that wasn’t his intent. The fearsome queen was, even if just for a moment, deterred from her game. Which gave him some time to gather his own bearings. He grinned and with a playful wink he turned to the window to watch their surroundings flash by. This carriage was going much faster than any he’d been in before. The queen was in a hurry to get where ever they were going.  
He could feel the queen’s annoyed stare, but didn’t care much. He just wanted to get this over with and return to the Jolly. He chuckled to himself as he realized that Regina was only so determined to actually prove he wasn’t to be trusted, because she believed Emma would make good on her promise and couldn’t bring herself to stop her without good reason.  
“All this fuss, just to get an excuse to forbid a pirate to see a princess. Whatever have I done that warrant’s such effort?” he wondered coyly.  
He heard Regina shift and cast her a quick glance before returning his attention to their surroundings. She had folded her arms in front of her, a frown on her face. But not one that spoke of annoyance or worry. It looked more reluctant, confused even.  
“Because… I was like you once, and Snow gave me a chance. Now Emma wants to give you one and I can’t deny you that. Not when it looks like you might actually do something good with it. That’s… That’s what heroes do. They give people a chance.” Ah, so that was why she looked confused. She was acting against her worst instincts. He supposed he could respect that.  
“And sometimes… That leads to something unexpected. I can’t deny Emma a friend she chose herself.”  
Hook didn’t know how to respond to that. It stood to reason that the princess could only be friends with those who visited her palace regularly, this being the heirs to the surrounding allied kingdoms. Children she’d known all their lives. She must not get much opportunity to make new friends.  
Yesterday he got the impression that she was used to talking to people much older than her. Which was to be expected, there weren’t many children in the palace he assumed. And the only people there who weren’t her servants were family, which meant that even among the inhabitants of the palace there was little opportunity for her to make a friend.  
So in a way, Hook and Lilly probably were the only ones off whom she was certain they’d choose to spend time with her when given the chance.

* * *

“We’re here,” the queen suddenly stated. Hook frowns. A tavern… She had dragged him what looked to be several villages over to a unassuming tavern? The establishment was like many he’d frequented the past few hundred years. It was just a bit too land inward for him to have come across it before.  
“All this just to get me to buy you a drink? Your majesty I am flattered, but it is my understanding that you are a married woman,” he drawled cheekily.  
Regina just rolled her eyes and turned to him.  
“I’ll come back when this bar closes, then we’ll find out what kind of man you truly are…  
And if you do fail, my offer still stands. In fact I’ll sweeten the deal for you, as I’m sure you’ll be heartbroken to have failed the test.” With a slightly sadistic grin she stepped into his personal space. He didn’t back down.  
“Decide who you are Jones. A man who wants to be a friend to a young girl looking for her true place in this world. Or a pirate obsessed with revenge. Give me your answer, and I’ll grant you your wish. Either I guarantee you that Emma will greet you every time your ship comes to our harbor. Or…” She leaned in closer and whispered in his ear, “I’ll get you your revenge.”  
Hook froze. As he watched the queen step back with a satisfied smile, swirl around and get back in the carriage which sped away at an impossible speed.  
Of course, of course it had to be this. Was he ready for this test? He shook his head. Of course he was, it was just a tavern, he could spend a night here and not cause trouble. He’d been perfectly capable of that many times before.  
While the promise of vengeance was tempting… Bea’s face when he realized he’d given him up to Pan for his own personal gain swam into view. This wouldn’t be quite like that, but he didn’t trust the queen not to paint him in the worst possible light when telling Emma about his choice.  
He could imagine Emma sneaking out and confronting him, how it’d be impossible to look at her as he couldn’t tell her that the queen had been lying exactly…  
No, he wouldn’t allow for that to happen. The next time he would see her, she would be excited about learning to sail and navigate and wield a sword.  
Vengeance would be his, some other time, some other way. He’d waited centuries, he could wait at least another lifetime. Just one night of good behavior, how hard could that be?

* * *

As he opened the door to the tavern and looked for a place to sit until it was time to leave, he soon saw just why the witch had chosen this place.  
There he stood, filling up drinks behind a bar, impossibly alive… His father.  
Killian ordered a bottle of rum from one of the maids and slowly worked his way through at a table in the corner where he could keep an eye on the barkeep. Not that he really saw him. Endless questions ran through his mind, blinding him to the world outside his own mind. How was he still alive? How was he so young? Why had he never come to look for them? To find out what became of his own flesh and blood? Why was he alive when Liam was dead? How was that fair?  
Would he recognize him when their eyes met? Would he feel remorse? If he felt guilty, would it be because of what he did? Or because his son had returned to confront him with his past?  
What would he say if he saw him? Would he have the gall to judge him for his life of piracy?  
Would he even ask about Liam?  
He barely noticed the tavern emptying. His bottle was still half full when he was woken from his inner turmoil by the sound of wood on wood in an otherwise empty establishment. A heavy sigh followed. He knew that sound. The sound of a man who was reluctant to tell the man with a hook for a hand to please get out so he could go to bed, but really, really needed to lock up.  
“Listen,” it was amazing how, after all these years, he still recognized that voice. How somewhere in a long abandoned corner of his mind a few happy memories resurfaced at the sound.  
This voice had soothed him after nightmares, had encouraged him, had told him he was loved… But then the sting of betrayal returned. Those words of love and comfort had been lies.  
“I don’t want trouble, but I really have to close,” Brennan Jones explained patiently.   
Hook looked up from his glass. His father stood there just a few steps from his table. Careful to keep said table in between them should the drunk pirate get violent.  
Killian wondered briefly how long ago his father had meant to close up. When had the last customer left? How often had he glanced at him, not knowing who he was? How often had he almost spoken to him, only to decide he could wait a few more minutes?  
He couldn’t expect the poor excuse of a man before him to recognize his scared ten year old son in a weathered pirate. Still it stung a little. To know that one look at his father had shaken Killian so thoroughly, while Brenan could stand there as if they were mere strangers.  
He downed the remainder of his glass and picked up the bottle as he stood, getting a small bit of satisfaction from the way Brennan Jones stepped back.  
He should be scared, a week ago… Gods he didn’t even know how he would’ve responded a week ago. Now however he had been toying with his new lucky charm all night and drawn strength from it.  
It had been surprisingly soothing to have this reminder of the fact that there was someone rooting for him to make it through the night. Even if that someone was asleep in their bed, unaware of the situation. Still, if she knew, Emma might’ve stayed up. Looking out her window and wishing upon each and every star that he would pull trough. Or maybe that was just what he wanted to belief.  
Regardless it reminded him a little of the long nights at the academy, or his first year of employment when Liam wasn’t around, but knowing that his brother had faith in him had been all he needed to endure whatever trial he faced. Be it mastering another language or scripture or maneuvering trough rough seas.  
He could just leave, never reveal himself and that would be that. He had done as the queen asked, she was probably outside waiting to take him back to his ship.  
Best not tempt himself… But then again, was it truly a test if he didn’t confront his past?  
No, it wasn’t. Besides he needed this, he needed answers. And he needed them tonight.

* * *

He slowly walked around the table so there was nothing between him and his father.  
“Now, why would a paying customer such as myself be any trouble?” He wondered, his tone almost playful, but much too dark to really be considered anything good.  
“I even tipped the maid who served me,” he argued gently, in a tone of voice that made most hardened sailors quiver in their boots.  
His father looked like it took everything in him not to run. A small movement in his body inclining his desire to reach the door in the back, the one that led to the living quarters above the tavern.  
“Could it be, because of this?” he wonders as he raises his hook and, because he wasn’t noble enough not to torment his father a little, because he wanted his father to feel the terror he’d experienced years ago when he awoke alone in the darkness, he let it carve a line in the table as he took a few steps closer. Brenan matched his progress by walking backwards, only to find himself stuck between a pirate and a table.  
“Because I’m a thieving, murderous, pirate?” he asked, eyes finally meeting his father’s again after all these years.  
“Or perhaps… It’s because I’m a boy who was left abandoned by his father?” before the words were fully out of his mouth, recognition dawned on Brenan’s face.  
Killian whipped out his sword and pointed it at his father’s throat.  
“Tell me Brennan Jones, what kind of man are you?” he whispered, hating there was the smallest quiver in his voice due to the years of pain and anger.  
A tear escaped the barkeeps eye. “Killian?” he whispered in disbelief. Something like a smile tugged at Brennan’s lips. His eyes disbelieving. He was happy to see him…  
“That’s captain Jones now barkeep,” Killian sneered, not ready to think about the small smile or the pain and regret in his father’s eyes.  
“Capt… Wait,” he stopped whatever he was about to say as his head whipped around.  
“Liam… Where’s your brother?” So he did recall he abandoned two sons that night then.  
“Unfortunately, while we both seem to have cheated death more times than we deserve, Liam wasn’t so lucky,” he informed him. Brennan fell into a chair as the words got through, dropping his head into his hands. “Of course, it would’ve been too much to ask for such miracle. To have you both back in my life…” he muttered.  
Killian scoffed. “Make no mistake, father.” He sneered the last word as if it was an insult.  
“I didn’t know you were alive until I entered this tavern earlier tonight. And I have no intention of seeing you again after this.” He couldn’t, not after everything. Even if part of him wanted to.  
His father’s head shot up. “Killian please, we have so much catching up to do!” he insisted.  
“And I have a ship to catch at dawn. I can’t tell my men to be ready at first light only to be late myself.” He wouldn’t, he had been many horrid things over the years, but he prided himself on being a firm, but fair captain. He expected nothing more from his men than he expected from himself. That had been his code since he entered the royal navy.  
Brennan nodded slowly. “Yes, of course… I can’t really expect you to… You’re alive… I still can’t believe it. When I realized… When I awoke… I mourned you two. To see that you are here and healthy… Well… Mostly. What-” Brennan couldn’t find the words as his gaze fixated on the hook.  
“I don’t believe I’m the one who owes the other an explanation father!” Killian reminded him, sheeting his sword. He wasn’t going to open up to him about anything until he was given a good reason to.  
“Yes of course… Sit. It’s a bit of a long story.”

* * *

And he sat, and he listened with impatience to the story of his father’s short lived freedom and unique punishment. He’d scoffed at the idea of true love waking this pathetic excuse of a man, but had listened as he described the kindhearted nurse who felt bad for him.  
He even found it in himself to feel a pang of pity when he heard about how the plague had taken her years ago.  
“Killian… What… After I left, what happened?” Brennan asked carefully. Killian raised his brow.  
“After you sold us you mean? Let’s see. Seven years of slavery, five years in the royal navy where I made lieutenant and Liam made Captain.” A glint of pride drifted over his father’s face and he wanted to tell him that these accomplishments had nothing to do with his parenting and everything with Liam being a stubborn, loyal ass and a damn good mentor.  
Instead he briefly mentioned that a betrayal from their king got Liam killed and that this is when Killian made captain and took the ship for his own. He wasn’t sure if he was happy that his father was being nonjudgmental about the whole ordeal. It made it harder to remain mad with him. And he really wanted to be mad at him. Not that he didn’t have plenty fire left, he was just annoyed that it dimmed even the slightest bit.  
He described falling in love with Milah as briefly as he could. “Then her ex came looking for her, killed her and gave me my new nickname.” He held up his hook.  
“Killian… I’m sorry son. If I hadn’t been such a coward at least you two might’ve ended up with someone to care for you. Things could’ve ended so different for you.”  
Killian rose from his chair. “Nothing that can be done about it now,” he said as he turned his back. He hesitated and looked back, just a little, he could see from the corner of his eye that his father had risen to follow him to the door.  
“You never told me, what kind of man you are?” he whispered.  
“I… I am the man who spent over a century in the netherworld, reliving his greatest regret. Wondering if his sons knew what had become of him, if they could ever forgive him. I am the man who broke a promise to his ten year old son and never stopped thinking about that lamp, about how long it was before it went out and left him and his brother in the darkness.  
I am the man that got a second chance he didn’t deserve.” Brennan sighs, a sound that betrayed his many years of self-reflection.  
“But I am trying Killian. Losing my true love nearly destroyed me… But I felt I deserved it. After all I did, I probably didn’t earn my happy ending. Still… I very soon realized that I didn’t need a second chance at being a husband… I wasn’t perfect, but I hope you remember I treated Alice right,” The man whispers desperately. Killian nods. One of the few happy memories of his childhood was his parents dancing trough the room to nonexistent music. Laughing carelessly.  
“I won’t lie to you Killian. Before Serena died… We were blessed with a son.” Killian’s blood froze.  
“What’s his name?” he asked casually, his hand clenching around the bracelet.  
“Liam. Liam Killian Jones. So I’m forever reminded of the mistake I once made, the one I can’t ever repeat again.”  
Killian took a few deep breaths. He was so close to passing the test, but he could so vividly remember watching Liam die in his arms… The humiliation of slavery. The nightmares. The feeling when he realized that his father had been lying.  
Then another memory resurfaced.  
_“I want you to teach me. To fight, to sail. I want to learn it all. Were you serious when you promised me you would?”_ He had made a promise, and he wouldn’t follow in his father’s footsteps by breaking it out of selfishness.  
“Last week, I would’ve said that I’m the kind of man who takes what he needs and shows no remorse for the carnage he leaves in his wake. But since then… I made a promise, to a little girl. Younger than I was when you broke yours. She is too young to be disappointed by someone she, for some reason, choses to belief in. So, I will do as I said I would. I’ll leave and return to my life on the sea and you will never see me again. If what you seek is forgiveness… I can’t give you that absolution. Too much time has passed. The scars run too deep. Comfort yourself with the fact that Liam died a bloody hero and that I intend to find my own happy ending no matter how long it takes. Oh and one more thing father.”  
He turned around swiftly and punched him in the jaw before landing a blow to his stomach. Brennan Jones fell to his knees, moaning in pain.  
“You mess up with that boy, you’ll wish I’d killed you tonight,” Hook promised before turning to leave the tavern.  
“Killian!” He halted at the pained outcry, his hand on the door handle.  
He turned around, he didn’t know why.  
Still grunting from pain his father was looking up at him with a smile.  
“This might sound strange and you probably don’t want to hear it, but I do want to say it just this once.” He took a deep breath and got up. “I’m proud of the man you’ve become.”  
Killian stiffened, nodded and marched outside, that was the last time he would ever see his father again.

* * *

Present day Jolly Rogers  
“When he came out, his father was still very much alive, though in mild pain. I believe he even pulled his punches even if the man earned worse in my opinion. So I do believe that the pirate intends to keep his promises to Emma.”  
Regina’s tale was of course lacking in the exact details since she wasn’t there in person and since she didn’t know the entirety of the captain’s backstory. Just that Brennan Jones was arrested and put under a sleeping curse, his boys nowhere to be found. Considering the fact that neither of his sons even attempted to wake him from his sleep, Regina deduced the man had betrayed his children in some way. Knowing the captain can hold a grudge and that it had festered for several lifetimes now, she knew that the captain’s true nature would come out during a confrontation.  
David frowns, trying not to feel sympathy for the man. A hard past is no excuse for piracy.  
Somewhere in the back of his mind a voice argued that he now considered Regina family despite everything she had done.  
One glance at the pirate talking to his daughter at the helm, letting her take hold of the wheel and steer the ship with him, makes him push that voice away though.  
He doesn’t trust him, not for a second.  
“Poor man…” of course Snow would be less inclined to hold onto her distrust.  
“How long has it been since he knew a home?” she wonders sadly.

* * *

“Swan! That’s mutiny lass!” They look up to see a smirking captain Jones chasing a giggling Emma over the deck, their daughter holding a shiny object.  
“Emma! No running with sharp objects!” Snow calls out in fear as she realizes that Emma somehow got the captain’s hook from him.  
Emma stops and smiles apologetically. “Sorry mommy,” she giggles as she hands the object back to the captain who proceeds to reattach it to his brace.  
It has been months since they saw their daughter this carefree. It simultaneously warmed and broke their heart to see.  
“Lass! The wheel!” Jones suddenly calls out. At that moment the company feels the ship shake. There is no one at the helm.  
“Got it captain!” Emma calls as she stretches her arm out and the spinning wheel at the back of the ship comes to a stop.  
“Keep her steady for a moment lass!” Hook orders as he rushes back to his post.  
It takes him a few moments to get back on course. Emma stands at attention looking up at him from the lower deck, looking like she’s ready for a scolding.  
“It’s alright lass, I shouldn’t have chased after you the way I did, but let this be a lesson. When someone is commanding a vessel, you best leave them at their post.”  
“Aye ay sir,” Emma nods with a salute. She turns back to her family to make sure no one got hurt when the ship moved and finds that her parents are looking pale and confused. She frowns for a moment before she realizes what she did.  
“I wouldn’t have suggested going to Killian if I didn’t even trust him with the truth about my powers,” she tells them.  
“Your lass is bloody brilliant!” Hook informs them casually, causing Emma to blush a little.  
“So you told a bunch of pirates before you told me?” Red pouts playfully.  
Emma rolls her eyes. “The crew doesn’t know. I just told Killian...” In the way she looks away as she says that, her parents know there is a story behind it, one she isn’t willing to elaborate on. Not with them within hearing distance at least. It hurts. What happened that makes her feel like she has to hide things from them?  
“It’s not really her fault your majesties. I just happen to be able to read her like an open book. Me crew is clueless though. You needn’t worry about them.”  
David ignores the pirate and walks over to his daughter, kneels down and gives her a hug.  
“If you think Hook can be trusted with your secret then we’ll trust you. You can tell us anything Emma. We will always love you. And we will always try to support you, however we can.” Because the pirate may not know this, but this is exactly what they’ve been fearing for years. Emma pulling away, putting up walls to keep them out and feeling like she has to face the world on her own.  
Emma returns the hug, tighter than she usually would. “Thank you daddy,” she whispers before a sound makes her look up. “Brooke!” she squeals excitedly. The loyal swan just landed on the deck. Emma rushes towards him and starts stroking him and giggles as he affectionately nibbles at her hair. She starts talking to him in hushed tones and sends him off with new instructions.

* * *

“She’s such a daddy’s girl sometimes,” Snow chuckles.  
“Oh like she doesn’t follow you around the palace half the time,” David smirks back as he gets up.  
“True, but whenever she feels upset in any way, or if she can’t quite escape the dwarves after another prank, she comes running straight to you,” his wife reminds him.  
David’s chest swells at that. He knows this, but the reminder soothes some of his anxiety that has been building up since the witch appeared. And today, seeing this pirate doing a better job at bonding with Emma and cheering her up than they’ve been doing the past two months, these fears had intensified.  
Snow is right though. Emma always looks to him when she needs protecting. There had been times when he felt there was something wrong and he’d just known where to go to find Emma. Stuck or hurt in some way, needing him to comfort or help her in some way. He suspects that it is like when she got abducted years ago. Without meaning to she calls out to him when she needs him.  
And she might not think she needs him now, but she does. With determination he approaches the pirate once more. Regina might be satisfied with that man’s performance on her little test, but David isn’t convinced. In fact he is certain he won’t resist temptation a second time.  
“Hello mate, want a try at the helm? I warn you it’s not as easy as I make it look,” Jones teases.  
“Regina tells me you want to kill the dark one.” David watches the brief flash of pain shift to anger and then to forced indifference. “What about it?”  
“What would you give for his location?”  
Jones chuckles and rolls his eyes, posture relaxing. “The dungeons beneath the castle. Deepest hallway, darkest cell. Guards rotate every 4 hours, he gets a visitor about once a month. He is trapped and without his magic, though still immortal. His dagger is in the possession of lady Belle who resides in the dark castle to look after the library and countless magical artefacts,” he rattles off.  
David’s blood runs cold. He remembers the massive fight they had with Belle when she told them she’d let Emma and Roland into the dungeons. They understood she had the best of intentions but Rumpelstiltskin was someone they never wanted to confront Emma with. If for no other reason than that he might reveal her fate to her.  
He never realized just how aware Emma is of who the dark one is.  
“I’ve known for a full year,” the captain continues. “But Emma likes this Lady Belle and I’m sure she’s fond of some of the guards under your employ.”  
He tears his eyes from the horizon to look the monarch in the eye.  
“I don’t care much for the damage to my soul anymore your highness, but Emma… I won’t betray her trust. She told me so I wouldn’t waste time looking for the dark one. She also told me what the price is for killing him, why you hero types haven’t. So my new objective is find a way to destroy the darkness… Wouldn’t it be something if instead of killing him I’d free him of his curse so he could spend the rest of his life as the miserable coward he was when I met him?” Jones lets out a dark chuckle as he turns his focus back to navigating the Jolly.  
“Get back down there and spend some time with your daughter on her birthday mate. It’s bad form to ignore a lady on her special day.”  
David wants to argue. Wants to tell him to stay away from Emma… but as much as he hates it he makes a good point. It’s Emma’s birthday. She deserves at least some kind of party.  
“You have four hours mate. Then it’s nothing but adventure and excitement,” Hook informs him.  
David sighs and goes down to join his family as they listen to Emma telling the story of Jacque the giant slayer. They eat a modest meal of bread, cheese and some freshly caught fish. Then they let her teach them her favorite sea shanties and soon they sing them together, smiling and laughing. David even dances with her to the tunes, though he promises her that once they get home they’ll arrange for a proper ball in honor of her birthday.  
“You’ll wear the most beautiful dress and we’ll dance until you fall asleep on your feet,” he tells her.  
Emma smiles back at him. “Honestly daddy… All I wanted was for everyone to be together today,” she confesses sadly. David strokes her cheek. “Thanks to you, we soon will be. I am so proud of you Emma. Don’t you ever forget that.” He playfully flicks her nose coaxing a giggle from her.  
“Land hoy!” Jones’ voice makes Emma stand at attention. Ironically, in some ways, she looks more like a princess now than moments ago. Gone is all the childlike playfulness. Instead there is determination, courage and charisma. David smiles in pride as he realizes that his daughter is a natural born leader.  
And he would gladly follow her anywhere.

* * *

[Regrets and reassurances](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/53573485)


	22. IV Fi fa fo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A long climb up the beanstalk awaits. Question is, which duo is going? And what will they find at the top?

**Princess Emma**

**IV Something wicked this way comes**

**IV Fi fa fo**

The sun is already low in the sky when they lay anchor.  
They take a small rowboat to the shore and start on their journey to the beanstalk. Hook is leading the way and Emma alternates between walking with him and walking with her family, encouraging them and trying to distract them from their worries.  
Suddenly her voice echoes through the forest. “Regina! I see it!”  
Indeed trough an opening in the canopy they could see the giant silhouette disappearing in the clouds.  
“Finally!” the sorceress queen sighs in relief.  
“Okay everyone, gather around and hold on to someone!” Emma instructs.  
“We are about to cut our travel time down by half!” she informs them.  
“Wait, couldn’t you have done this in the harbor?” David wonders, it would’ve saved them almost half a day.  
“I could’ve tried, but without seeing the beanstalk I might’ve misjudged the distance and set off the protection charm which would’ve been unpleasant for everyone except the pirate.”  
“And traveling that far takes a lot of energy. But now she can see it she can get us straight to the clearing, while expending about as much energy as taking a single step,” Emma explains before turning to her teacher. “Right Regina?”  
“Exactly,” she nods before turning to the others. “Everyone ready?”  
Snow, Charming and Red each lay a hand on her shoulders, Emma takes one hand and grabs onto Hook’s good one. “Ready,” everyone chorused.  
And in a puff of purple smoke they were suddenly standing at the edge of the forest, looking at the impossibly big plant about half a mile ahead of them.  
“Perfect. Now who’s coming along?” Hook asks as he loosens one of the cuffs.

* * *

“Regina and I will go,” David decides.  
“Pardon me?” Hook chuckles with a raised brow.  
“Didn’t you hear me earlier mate? I’m going up there, that’s not up for negotiation.”  
“Emma told us about the giant that lives there, Regina has magic that can protect us and I’m not waiting here while any member of my family risks their life.”  
The two men are staring each other down, neither willing to budge.  
“Actually,” Emma starts as she digs into her bag and takes out a burlap bag tied up with string.  
“I brought poppy powder. This should knock the giant out for a while, so even if we don’t send a magic user the ones to go won’t be entirely defenseless.”  
Hook chuckles. “What did I say? Bloody brilliant. She makes for a fine adventurer.” He gives Emma a wink and she giggles at some inside joke. David’s eyes narrow, his resolve unmoved.  
“We probably should have decided this on the way here,” Snow sighs, already sensing a long argument coming.  
“With all due respect luv, but I can rule you out in a second. While on any other day I would vote for an accomplished survivor such as yourself to be among the ones to go. Considering you are attached to the precious cargo we wish to protect…”  
Hook offers apologetically with a vague gesture towards her stomach.  
“Yeah, you are right. I have to stay,” Snow agrees.  
“I’m out too,” Red states.  
“Why? The giant might not realize you are an exceptionally big wolf. He might think you’re a cute puppy if he sees you,” Emma argues.  
“I despise heights,” Red informs her, trying to ignore the amused chuckles that went through the company at the mental image.  
“Hook has to go,” Emma tells her father before he can argue he and Regina should be the ones to go again. “He has more experience sneaking in and out of places than any of us. If anyone can get themselves and their partner out of there alive, it’s him.”  
David frowns. He doesn’t like it. Sure he could still send Regina up with Hook to keep an eye on him, or go up and keep an eye on the pirate himself, and really get a read on him in the process.  
Still some part of him doesn’t want this man to take any part in their quest.  
“He also has one hand and is a pirate. How am I supposed to trust him with me up there?” he argues, forgetting for a moment that he is talking about his daughter’s friend. He doesn’t miss the way she gets ready to defend him, but it’s not she who speaks next.  
“One, I can handle myself just fine mate thanks for the concern,” Hook states sarcastically.  
“Two, how about you trust your daughter’s judgement?” That hits David hard enough to make him falter. And Hook gladly takes advantage.  
“In fact, I’m not so sure if I trust you with me up there either. No offence mate, but you’d clearly just as soon leave me behind to be giant bait.” David squares his shoulders.  
“Then who would you take?” he challenges.  
“Right now? Emma!”  
“Wha… Of course. I shouldn’t be surprised that a pirate needs to be explained why a child can’t go up a beanstalk!”  
“Um David?” Red says as she taps the king’s arm.  
“I know she’s too young to go up there. But other than that she’s by far the best choice out of all of you. She has her head on straight, she is smart, resourceful, brave and bloody good with magic!”  
“Guys!” Red insists once more.  
“She is 8 years old!”  
“I know! I don’t intend on taking her up there and confront her with a battlefield, but you seriously need to learn to appreciate how strong and competent she is. Or this entire journey is going to be a waste of time. You’ll have to let her fight at some point, that’s why she is here at all. Might as well accept that she can now.” David bristles, when had Emma told him that?  
“Guys!!” She shouts finally getting the attention of the full party that had been either arguing or watching the argument.  
“I have one more reason why Emma is going up.”  
“What!?” David demands, thinking the world has gone mad.  
She points to the beanstalk. “She’s already on her way.”  
Killian looks to his wrist and curses as he notices the cuff is gone.  
“Emma!” David shouts when he sees her make her way up the beanstalk in the light of the setting sun. He hold out his hand for the cuff. “Hand me that… Jones!?”  
Killian is already chasing after the princess.  
“Emma!” he shouts frantically, cursing himself for losing his temper with the king like that.  
He soon reaches the beanstalk, ignoring the shouts of Emma’s family following after him.  
He has to get to her, why is she so damn fast? He shouldn’t have let her climb the Jolly’s mast so often.  
“Emma! Get down here this instant!” David shouts.  
“Regina can’t you do something?!” Snow pleads.  
“I’m trying, she’s protected by the charm now!”  
“Bloody brilliant,” Killian grumbles to himself. It takes him a while to catch up to the young girl and when he does, the ground is already far beneath them.

* * *

“Luv what are you doing?” he calls after her, staying just a bit beneath her so he can catch her should she fall. Just the thought of that possibility already sends shivers down his spine.  
“Saving us time! At the rate you two were going my brother would’ve been born by the time you agreed on who should go!” Under other circumstances, Hook would find her cheeky reply funny. But this high up he seems to have temporarily lost the ability to find anything amusing.  
“And you decided stealing the protection charm from me and climbing ahead on your own was the best solution?”  
“I knew you wouldn’t wait around to give my dad the other, so in the end we both get what we want. I wanted you to go and you wanted me with you.”  
Killian bites back a curse. Here he was telling the king of for underestimating his daughter, and he forgets that she is standing besides him and more than capable to take matters into her own hands.  
“Lass… Under other circumstances I wouldn’t want anyone else to have my back… But up there… A battlefield awaits, that’s no place for a girl your age,” he explains gently.  
“Then why did you suggest I should go?” Emma wonders.  
“Because, after the glowing recommendation you gave me I felt I should return the favor. Remind your old man of what he already knows.”  
Emma is silent for a while. “Well, we’re too high up to turn back empty handed!” she decides as she pushes on.  
“You’ll be the death of me…” Killian mutters.  
“You only die for love or vengeance right?” Emma reminds him.  
“Nothing here will get you your revenge. And I don’t see any beautiful dames either.”  
Deciding that trying to force her down is too dangerous and that she has her mind set on going all the way up, Hook allows himself to partake in their usual banter.  
“Well, I see a pretty princess,” he offers.  
“Aw, is that a proposal?” she teases.  
“Maybe twenty years from now,” he laughs good naturedly.  
“Alright that should give you time to pick out a ring to do it properly.” They both laugh and climb on in relative silence. Occasionally cracking jokes, but focusing on the climb for the most part. After an hour, when the sun has finally fully disappeared behind the horizon and their way is lit only by the light of the moon, Killian can tell Emma is getting tired, he looks up and finds a ridge wide enough to sit.  
“There’s a spot where we can take a break,” he points out.  
He doesn’t miss the sigh of relief Emma lets out before she looks back with a careless smile.  
“Alright!” she grins.

* * *

Soon they sit themselves down and take in the view, thought they avoid looking straight down.  
Emma waves over herself and Killian with her hand and he can feel the ache in his muscles disappear. He smiles at her appreciatively before looking up at the familiar night sky.  
After a few moments Killian looks down at her with an expectant look.  
“Are you going to tell me the real reason you want to go up there?” he asks.  
Emma makes it a point to look away.  
“I asked you a question lass,” he presses. He hates being firm with her, he knows she already has two sets of parents telling her what to do. But he knows something is bothering her. She has that look again. The one that doesn’t belong with a girl surrounded by people who love her.  
In the past that look made him worry that the charming’s home life wasn’t as harmonious as their nickname implied. Having seen them today though, he understands better what Emma tried to explain the first time he asked about it. The day he found out just how truly exceptional the princess is.

* * *

TWO YEARS AGO THE JOLLY ROGERS  
The crew was cheering on young Roland as he dueled with Cecco and the captain smiled from the sidelines, proudly overseeing the fight.  
He glanced down to Lilly on his left, the girl’s eyes twinkling with excitement, following the moves and cheering Roland on at the top of her lungs. The young dragon girl didn’t have patience to learn sword fighting, stating that she was a living weapon herself. But she did enjoy watching others fight. The girl also wasn’t fond of sailing, the sea not exactly in line with her own elements of fire and air. Still she enjoyed talking with his crew and wasn’t frightened by the tales of their conquests.  
Roland wasn’t a born sailor, but he had the discipline required to hold his own despite the fact that he got a little squeamish on the waves. His swordsmanship however was remarkable.  
And then there was Emma. Killian looked down at the young princess who was following the movements with more attentive eyes, whispering the names of stances and maneuvers to herself and clenching her fists in anticipation of her turn.  
She was a devoted student both as a sailor and a fighter. If not for her disadvantage in height and experience she’d be running circles around Roland and some of his own crew in both departments. “Want to see if you can best me when they’re done lass?” Killian suggested. Emma looked up with wide eyes. “Really? You think I’m ready?” she asked in awe.  
Killian laughed. “To beat me? Not by a few centuries lass. But to learn from fighting me? Absolutely.”  
He playfully messed with her hair. “Hey!” she protests with a giggle.  
“Best tie your hair back lass. Those pretty locks are all fine and good, but a pirate always keeps their face free,” he advised as he handed her a red silk ribbon he’d picked out at a shop in a land to the east. His favorite silk supplier had disappeared along with his kingdom years ago, but Killian had managed to get his hand on some of the supply that was still making it’s rounds.  
“It’s beautiful,” Emma whispered in awe as she inspected it.  
“Well I figured it wouldn’t stand out too much amongst your things at home. But if you look close…”  
“It has my initials!” she confirmed excitedly.  
They weren’t her initials technically. She didn’t have a last name. She was just crown princess Emma, no need for further specifications beyond that in the circles she was supposed to run in. But here on the Jolly, she was Emma Swan. And so her ribbon held, in gold embroilment, the letters E S.  
“Thank you Killian. You shouldn’t have,” she said as she pulled her hair back and ties it together.  
“Well it’s going to be your birthday soon right? Or it was recently I think…” He trails of trying to remember the date. At times he got disoriented from traveling between realms.  
“In two weeks,” Emma confirmed with a nod.  
“Right, I’ll miss it. So now you’ll have something to remind you that your favorite pirate wishes you a good year. Though even if I would be here I doubt your parents would let you out of the palace on your special day. They’ll want you all to themselves, especially since they’ll have to share you with every nobleman and woman in the enchanted forest and then some on your ball next year,” he reasoned.

* * *

Emma looked down, but before she did he caught it. The look that flickered in her eyes every now and then. It had been lying just underneath the surface all day.  
It made him angry when he saw it. A princess shouldn’t have reason to have that look in her eyes. The look of a lost one.  
“Princess?” he whispered worriedly. “Is everything alright? At the palace I mean?” he asked gently.  
“Why would you ask that?” Emma frowned, looking up at him defensively.  
“Because you are easy to read luv. Despite the walls you put up to hold your secrets, the fact that you have them at all tells me a lot.”  
No nearly seven year old girl should have walls or any doubt about whether she was loved or not.  
Emma bit her lip and then looked up to the raised structure on the ship that held his personal quarters. He nodded in understanding and led her inside.  
If she wasn’t comfortable talking about it in public he’d respect that.  
And if she told him anything that was cause for alarm he’d take her with him. He’d take her somewhere he didn’t know where. But it would be a place where she would never have to look like that again. He wouldn’t allow Swan to become a lost girl. Even if he had to make the entire realm his enemy to do it. He learned from his mistakes.  
He let her in first and closed the hatch behind him. Others would assume he was teaching Emma about navigation or something of the like and leave them alone.  
The crew knew better than to disturb him, Lilly had already explored everything ‘interesting’ in his quarters and Roland had long ago learned to trust Killian with Emma.  
He sat himself on his bed and gestured for her to take a seat next to him.  
When she did she pulled up her legs and hugged them close to her, leaning against the haul of the ship.  
She took a deep breath and then looked straight at him with a serious look.  
“Promise me. Promise me no one outside this room will hear of this,” she whispered seriously.  
He knew that look in her eyes. She was searching his face for a lie.  
“I promise,” he swore. Her face didn’t brighten like it usually did when she saw he spoke the truth. She just released a breath, relaxing slightly. She unwrapped one of her arms and held it out in front of her, her palm facing upward. Killian had to bite his tongue to keep in a curse as he saw the gentle glow encompass her hand. She then held her hand out, as though signaling someone in front of them to stop. The light shot away from her and once in the middle of the small room it exploded in bright colors.  
“That’s…” he started.  
“Magic,” she whispered.  
“How long have you…?”  
Emma shrugged. “We think I’ve had it all my life. I’ve been learning to use it for almost a year now,” she explained while keeping an eye on his astonished face.  
“Queen Regina is teaching you I take it?” he guessed. He needed a moment to take this new information in. Swan had magic, she’s been able to use it since before they met.

* * *

“Are you scared of me now?” Emma finally asked, snapping Kilian back to the present. There it was, clearer than ever before. The look of a lost one on Emma’s face.  
“Is that what has been bothering you? You think your family is scared of your talent?”  
“You told me yourself that magic users can’t be trusted!” she pointed out. He wanted to kick himself. At the time he had been trying to teach her proper strategy for adventuring. He had no idea that she might think…  
“Because you generally can’t afford to find out whether they are good or bad people. And it’s true that I tend to avoid wild magic since it’s unpredictable. But none of these things apply to you.”  
He told her firmly. “Because Swan, I care for you, every part of you. And I am sure your family feels the same or they wouldn’t let you even practice it right?”  
Emma looks down, not convinced.  
“Whenever I use magic in front of my parents… They try not to show it, but I can tell it frightens them. They look worried every time it comes up. I know they love me… But maybe it’d be better if I didn’t have magic at all.” She speaks softly, a tear escaping her eyes as she looked at her hand that had glowed with light minutes ago. Killian pulled the girl into a hug.  
“You are brilliant luv. Just the way you are. Your parents seem much too smart not to see that. You are their daughter, of course they love you,” he promised her.  
“When they asked me to hide my magic for now, I got it. Bad people could try to use my powers for their own personal gain.” Killian couldn’t help a smile as he realized once more that as far as this girl was concerned, he wasn’t a bad person.  
“But sometimes it feels like they want me to pretend I don’t have them. And it’s not just that. Whenever something is going on, they drop me off with someone else and keep me far away from it all. It makes me feel so alone… Every time I see them walk away I just want to run after them,” she sobbed into his shoulder.  
“They’ll let you into that part of their lives when you’re older luv,” he assures her.  
“They probably just want to give you a chance to be a child first. Having to deal with magical powers is probably already more responsibility than they ever wanted you to shoulder at your age. Any decent parent would.” And he had to believe that this was what was going on. But without meeting the king and queen in person he could never be entirely sure.

* * *

“What if my powers get too strong?” she whispered.  
“What makes you think they will?” he asked.  
“There’s this story one of the castle staff members told me long ago. About three sisters who loved each other more than anything. But the oldest had powers while the others didn’t. They thought their love for each other was stronger than their fear for her power and for a while it was. Until one day… The eldest killed the middle sister by accident and the youngest locked her up in a magical prison never to release her again,” she told him with a small voice. Killian was astonished. What kind of sick person tells a child a story like that? He’d always talked around the gruesome details of the legends he told her. This person clearly hadn’t done anything of the sort.  
“That’s why you are learning to use them right aren’t you? I’m sure the sister in the story didn’t have a teacher like Regina,” he offered. Emma sat up at that and frowned.  
“I… I don’t think so…”she admitted.  
“See? It’ll all be alright. I’ve known you for a little while Swan. You are a hero in the making. So you’ll get your happy ending. I’ll help you find it. I promise,” he swore.  
Emma smiled back at him, clearly feeling much better. “And I’ll bring you yours!” she promised.  
He pulled her ponytail playfully. “Ready to show those amateurs, what a proper duel looks like?”  
She nodded eagerly and followed him outside.

PRESENT DAY ON THE BEANSTALK

* * *

He has seen it now too, the tenseness her parents carry with them. The worry lines that have started to etch themselves into their skin. The slight shadow that overtakes their faces even as they glow with pride every time Emma shows how capable she is for her age.  
His hope had been right. Her parents were merely worried for her. They just wanted her to be a child for a little longer. Still he could see how this might feel like distance to a young girl  
“You saw it. Daddy doesn’t want me here,” she explains briskly.  
“And you figure if you return with the compass, he’ll have to admit that they need you,” Killian guessed. Emma nods, playing with the familiar red ribbon at the end of her braid, a determined frown on her face, still looking like a lost girl.  
“Your father just wants to protect you luv. It’s his job,” Killian reminds her.  
“Well… He’ll have to get over it! And so will you. Let’s go. We still have a lot of climbing to do.”  
Killian is a bit taken aback, not used to Emma trying to throw up a wall between them.  
He follows her up and tries to pick his next words carefully.  
“I didn’t mean to upset you Emma,” he apologizes. After a few moments of silence he sighs. The silent treatment? Really?  
“You know? Your parents might find your silence off putting, but me…? I like the challenge.”  
Emma huffs in annoyance and he smirks. How well he knows her.  
“Fine, don’t tell me anything. I know enough,” he informs her.  
“No you don’t!” she objects turning her head downward before immediately redirecting it up again and holding onto the beanstalk just a little tighter.  
“Everything alright luv?” Killian checks.  
“Just wishing I’d brought climbing gear!” she calls back before proceeding.  
“You can’t think of everything. Anyway,” he continues, now with the added goal of distracting Emma from the no doubt terrifying experience of looking straight down a beanstalk when the ground is shrouded in night’s darkness.  
“It’s clear you are taking issue with the idea of being protected, by either me or your father. And I know that look you have on your face right now. You feel alone. Why is that luv? Your family looks closer than any I’ve seen in all my years and yet you put yourself on the outside. Why?”  
Emma sighs. “I… While I was preparing for this adventure I came across a rule of magic. It comes at a price. Always. And they can’t protect me form the price I’ll have to pay Killian. Neither can you. The sooner they learn that, the better. Otherwise… You’ll just get hurt.”  
Killian frowns angrily. Angry with whatever price fate has bestowed upon Emma for the accident of her birth. Angry with Emma for just accepting it as a fact. Angry with himself for not prying this out of her sooner.  
“And just what is this price?” he asks casually, as though he is unfazed by the news.  
“I don’t know. But my parents have been talking about it when they think I’m not around. They think this threat is just the first test of many.” Killian wishes they were still sitting down. That way he could look straight at her, give her a hug even.  
“You think this is your fault?” he deduces. Emma’s silence says enough.  
“Luv, from what you told me on the way here, this witch has business with Regina and even she doesn’t know what she’s done to anger her specifically. If you weren’t around she still would’ve come for your godmother and the rest of your family. There simply wouldn’t have been anyone to stop her,” Killian reminds her.  
“And even so, no one is responsible for that witch’s actions except for her. And don’t you dare giving up on yourself young Swan! You are stronger than that. You have opened up an evil queens heart to love, coaxed a dragon from isolation and soothed a vengeful pirate’s ire enough to let him see the world clearly once more. And you will continue to do amazing things Swan. And when the day comes for you to pay the price, you will leave the world speechless with the path you find.” He has caught up with her and sees the teary eyed smile she sends him.  
“You don’t have to be alone Emma. Ever,” he reminds her and she nods. The lost look leaving her eyes and determination taking over.  
“You’re right. Ready to take on a giant with me?” she asks.  
“Well I have little other choice. Though I do have time. We still have a few hours climbing ahead of us.” He looks up to the place where the beanstalk disappears in the clouds.  
They aren’t even halfway.  
Emma takes a deep breath and starts singing.  
“Come get your duds in order…”  
Killian grins and continues “For we're going to leave tomorrow…” With a careless laugh they sang together. “Heave away, me jollies, heave away…”

* * *

Many shanties later they find themselves in the clouds. Killian stops as he sees the edge of a stone structure.  
“Let me check ahead lass, please,” he requests. Emma nods and gets ready to wait for his signal.  
As he climbs over the edge and takes in his surroundings he sees that the place isn’t just desolate, it’s downright macabre. No one has taken care of any of this in years.  
He looks down at the nearest skeleton. It’s completely stripped, save for some pieces of metal and cloth that was once clothing.  
He looks back down to Emma. “The giant isn’t here, but like I said, there was a battle here. So…”  
He doesn’t know how to describe it. Emma rolls her eyes. “I know what bones are Killian,” she smiles at him, but the tenseness in her eyes shows that she is a little nervous.  
“Right, just know that there’s nothing to be scared off,” he reminds her.  
“Not as long as you’re around,” she agrees. She takes his hand and climbs up.  
Once her feet hit solid ground she looks up at him in relief. “I’m going to think of a better way to get down, because I’m not doing that again,” she breathes. Then she takes it in. “It looks so… Sad. Why hasn’t the giant buried his friends?” she wonders. “I suppose he couldn’t do it on his own,” Killian guesses.  
“It looks like it used to be pretty here,” she observes, focusing on the architecture and landscaping while trying to ignore the giant bones scattered around the premise.  
“Let’s hurry and get that compass so your parents don’t have to worry longer than necessary.”  
Emma nods in agreement, though the way she bites her lip tells Hook how nervous she really is.  
“You climb up there,” Killian suggests, pointing to the enormous statue near the entrance of the castle. “And when you are ready, I’ll get the giant’s attention. Then I’ll get you a clean shot, once you have it, you throw that bag at his face with everything you have.”  
Emma frowns. “Maybe I should…”  
“Lass, if I didn’t think you could make that throw I would suggest we wait for the giant to fall asleep instead. Neither job is without danger. I trust you to give this task your all.”  
Emma nods seriously. She ties the bag to her belt to free her hands and starts the climb up.  
Once she is in position, Killian makes as much noise as he can, using a giant’s bone and shield.  
Emma grabs the statue with all her might as she feels the ground shake under the heavy steps of the giant. Sooner than she’d like the giant comes into view, looking over the courtyard to see what made that sound.  
“Oi!” Killian shouts, making a knot appear in Emma’s stomach. She decides she doesn’t like Killian’s fearlessness as much as she once thought she did. It’s all fun and exciting when he talks about his daring adventures, but seeing him put himself in danger is terrifying. Suddenly the thought that she might lose her friend, like she lost Grandpa Henry and Granny, is very real to her.  
“Hey you big git!” The giant grunts angrily, which Emma can somewhat understand. First they disturb him and then he sees this little guy insult him. She’d feel bad if the giant wasn’t big enough to sneeze them away. “Yeah you! Want to kill a human?” Killian started to walk around the giant, leading him to slowly turn his face towards Emma.  
“You want to kill a human? Well I’m the worst human around! Come on.” Killian quickens his pace.  
“Come on!”  
Emma hears the giant roar as his face turns to her, ready to pick Killian up and crush him. She takes this as her cue and throws the bag in the giant’s face. It bursts open on impact and puts him to sleep nearly immediately.  
“Killian?” she calls out when she can’t see him. Silence.  
“Killian!” she shouts. Worried he ended up underneath the giant.  
“Ah, he’s out cold!” she hears him announce before he appears from behind the giants leg.  
“Well, seems you were right luv! We make quite the team.”  
Emma can’t help but laugh, relieved that her stunt hasn’t ended in Killian getting hurt.  
“Can you imagine my dad having to work with you like this?” she giggles as she makes her way back down.  
“In the end, it’s probably better that he stayed behind,” the captain agrees as he takes her hand for her last jump down.

* * *

“Come on, let’s fill that bag of yours with treasure and find a compass,” Emma urges him.  
“Luv, this is the fun part, let’s enjoy it, what’s your rush?” Killian chuckles as he lets her pull him through the castles entryway. He can’t help his grin as he sees that the treasures are already starting to pile up here. He can practically smell the gold. Oh, if his crew could see him now. He should’ve brought another bag. Or three.  
“How long will that dose keep him down?” she asks, pulling him out of his treasure induced haze.  
“Not sure,” Killian admits as he picks up a coin from a nearby pile to inspect it, taking in it’s scent, the cool feel. Ah, it has been a while since he laid eyes on a proper treasure.  
“That’s my rush,” she tells him cheekily, though she too can’t help but take in the piles of gold and jewels with interest. She has a point, Killian has to admit. They might have hours or mere minutes. Knowing how potent Poppy powder is though, he’d guess they have at least an hour. Which isn’t a lot considering the size of the building. And gods all that treasure… He’d need years to really appreciate it all. Emma’s shocked cry pulls him out of his daydream. He rushes to her side and deflates. She found a human skeleton. And not just any skeleton.  
Killian sighs. “Emma, meet Jack.” It’s a very poor joke, but he hopes it might soften the blow a bit.  
Emma offers him a weak smile and then focuses her attention to the sword. She picks it up and inspects it.  
“It doesn’t look like a giant-killing kind of sword,” she muses.  
“Well, like with you, looks can be deceiving,” he offers as he walks a few steps backwards, ready to get them both away from this macabre sight.  
“You’d be surprised…”  
“Stop!” Emma shouts as she jumps back and drags him with her.  
“Lass!” Killian protests as he regains his footing.  
“Tripwire!” she scolds him in turn.  
Killian looks down and sees that there is indeed a rather obvious trap in front of him he’d nearly sprung. He’s a bit embarrassed. He really should have seen it. He knows better than just wander aimlessly trough a room full of treasure.  
“Good eye lass. Thank you.” Emma shrugs and returns her attention to the sword testing the weight and frowning as she isn’t used to wielding a real sword, and if she was, she was training for a sabre. “Do you think that my parents would consider getting me my own sword after this?” she wonders. Killian suppresses a grin as he hears the hopeful undertone in her voice and shrugs.  
“Let’s get through this first and then we’ll talk about getting your parents to get you a blade.”  
They dig through the treasures and Killian collects the first part of his compensation. Every once in a while Emma even hands him something interesting she thinks he might like, she is always correct.  
After a while, Emma gets fed up with aimlessly digging through piles of gold.  
“If you had something that is so precious, that piles of gold would pale in comparison, where would you keep it?” As Emma says this Killian’s thoughts immediately go to his brother’s necklace and her bracelet. And both are items he keeps close by. He drops the bag of ‘salvaged’ goods as he realizes that they most likely left the real treasure with the giant at the door.  
He was such an idiot!

* * *

And of course, right then the giant wakes up. Their time is up, their chance wasted and it is all his fault for being so damn greedy. If even one hair on Emma’s head is out of place after this, he’ll never forgive himself.  
“Quick we need to hide!” he instructs as he drags Emma along to find something big enough for her to crawl under. But as the giant jumps into the room, the ground shakes so violently that he feels Emma’s hand slip out of his grip. He immediately turns to grab hold of her once more, but pauses as he hears the ceiling give way, he looks up just in time to see the giant rocks coming straight at him.  
“Killian!!!” Emma calls out before a giant hand snatches her up.  
“Human!” the giant shouts.  
“Please, sir. You are squishing me,” she informs him.  
“Serves you right, you are all murderers and thieves!” he insists.  
“I’m eight!” she objects. The giant hesitates.  
He looks closer, his grip loosening just a bit. “Well… What does that matter? You are still evil!” he insists. “Is it evil to try and find a way to save my brother?” she asks.  
“My entire family depends on me bringing back a compass you have somewhere in here,” she tries to explain. “And maybe a bean,” she confesses.  
“They were destroyed. Your people destroy everything they come near, like my family!” he growls.  
Clearly the giant is in a lot of pain, but so is Emma now that his grip tightens once more.  
“Please, please I need air!” she tries to reason with him.  
“What do I care what you need?” he scoffs.  
“Fair… Enough… I’m… really… sorry!” Emma gasped before she bit down on the giant’s finger.  
“Aaaah!” the giant let go of her and she fell down. Luckily the giant’s body breaks her fall a few times, or she would’ve gotten really hurt when she hit the ground. As it is she manages to reach the floor in one piece, though she is sure she’ll be black and blue tomorrow unless she takes some time later to heal herself.  
She runs as fast as she can. Towards the sword she dropped earlier, towards the trap.  
The giant runs after her but she is nimble enough to keep her advantage long enough to reach her goal. Just when she picks up the sword and positions herself at the tripwire, the giant reaches her.  
She swings the sword with all her might and triggers the wire and the giant finds himself trapped. The cage would be rather spacious for a human, but for this giant it was only just big enough.

* * *

“There,” Emma breathes. "Now, can we talk like civilized individuals?” she suggests. The giant glares and she raises the sword in a defense reflex, to her amazement the giant flinches.  
“Huh… Killian was right. Looks… Wait. Killian!” She calls out worriedly. Please answer, please answer…  
“Ah, Emma? Luv you alright?” She doesn’t know whether she should laugh or cry, she is so relieved.  
“I’m perfectly fine captain! I’ll be right with you!” she promises.  
“Never mind me, I’ll find a way out. You get back down to your parents luv!” Killian argues.  
“Not without you!” she insists, her tone leaving no room for argument. And none comes.  
She once more raises the sword and she wishes she could say that she was trembling because it was heavy. The truth is, she really doesn’t want to hurt this giant.  
“And not, without the compass,” she insists, her voice not entirely able to hide her nerves.  
“You’ll kill me either way, so do it!” Emma is surprised to find that the giant sounds as scared as she feels.  
“You don’t look like the terrifying, murderous monster I’ve heard about,” she whispers.  
A shadow overcomes the giant’s face. “That’s because the victors tell the story.”  
Emma drops the sword, no longer excited to be in the exact location where her favorite story took place.  
“Then let’s correct the narrative, together,” she offers gently.  
The giant looks at Emma for a while and then she hears the sound of something metal sliding over the floor. She looks up. “The compass!” she exclaims relieved as she runs to get it.  
“It’s real.” She lets out a disbelieving laugh, feeling a weight fall of her shoulder. “I was starting to fear that it was just a rumor.”  
“You really need it huh?” the giant mutters in a pained voice.  
“Yes, this is our only hope… is that?” she whispers as she sees another necklace that dropped on the ground. It was a dried up looking bean.  
“It’s dead, like the rest. I wear it as a reminder, of what you are. Monsters,” he whispers.  
“Well. You were wrong. About us and the bean,” Emma tells him.  
“I’m sure Regina knows a way to bring some magic to this one, if you don’t mind?” she checks.  
“No… If you can bring it back to life…”  
“We’ll see.” She shrugs as she pockets the bean.

* * *

Suddenly the giant gets up, bursting out of the cage, causing Emma to scream and jump back.  
He sits down in front of her and takes her in with curious eyes.  
“You really are different aren’t you?” he asks, baffled by this conclusion.  
Emma frowns. “Humans can be anything from pure evil villains to true heroes. Most of us are somewhere in between,” she tells him.  
“Swan!?” Killian’s voice sounds panicked. Emma picks up Jack’s sword and hurries to where she left him behind.  
As far as he was concerned he just heard a violent outburst and then near silence.  
“I’m coming Killian!” she assures him as she reaches the pile of rocks. She uses the sword as a lever and moves one of the rocks, freeing Killian.  
“Emma luv, you are brilliant. Bloody amazing…” Killian breathes as he climbs from under the rocks. Before Emma can tease him about his cursing, he pulls her into a tight hug.  
“Are you alright?” he breathes. “Yeah Killian, I’ll be fine,” she promises.  
He holds her at arm’s length to look at her.  
“I’m sorry Swan. I put you in danger. If I wasn’t so distracted by the other treasure I would’ve realized the giant would keep the compass close. We could’ve been heading down by now-”  
“Killian stop!” Emma insists.  
“I was just as distracted by the adventure as you were. And it’s thanks to your stories that I did so well today. You told me about how you found out the guards of that dungeon had set a trap for you, guessing you’d come to retrieve your crewmembers and how you tricked them to set it off themselves. And if you hadn’t taught me how to use a sword I wouldn’t have dared to even pick one up, let alone attempt to threaten a giant with it,” she lists.  
Killian frowns not convinced.  
“Besides, he’s rather nice once you talk to him for a little. Look what he gave me!” she tells Killian cheerfully as she shows off the compass and the bean.  
“Son of a biscuit eater,” Killian mutters in awe as he picks up the compass.  
“More beautiful than legend,” he whispers before handing it back to Emma.  
“What was that about a nice giant?” he asks skeptically.  
“Come on!” she tells him cheerfully as she pulls him back to where she left the giant who is waiting patiently. Killian holds onto Emma’s hand tightly, ready to make a run for it and this time he’d pick her up if he had to.

* * *

“Alright, we all got off on the wrong foot,” Emma states before pulling her hand back from Killian’s grip and making a bow for the giant.  
“My name is Emma and this is my friend, Killian.”  
The giant nods in acknowledgement. “Anton,” he introduces himself.  
“What really happened Anton?” Emma asks. The captain pulls her close as he hears the sadness in her tone. And together they listen to Anton’s story. Of how his family had warned him against humans and how he still went down to see for himself. How he thought he befriended two humans, amongst whom was Jack. How they arrived on his doorstep with an army and killed everything and everyone he loved.  
By the end Emma’s cheeks were wet with silent tears.  
“Here luv,” Killian says softly as he offers her his handkerchief. Emma accepts it and wipes her face.  
The pirate hates to see her like this. Losing a hero is a hard part of growing up, and Emma shouldn’t have lost one already. And this isn’t even someone she knows personally.  
“Luv, I don’t know what to say,” Killian confesses helplessly.  
“You don’t need to say anything. Jack wasn’t a good person. She wasn’t the hero I thought she was, which means that this,” she points to the skeleton, “makes a lot more sense. Heroes aren’t supposed to end up like this,” she reasons.  
Anton shifts his weight a little and leans in with a curious look.  
“So… There are more like you down there?” he wonders skeptically.  
“Sure, you just got very unlucky to find two bad people. The others they brought probably were told lies about what happened and thought they were fighting evil monsters.” The anger in Emma’s tone is barely contained. Killian can see a soft glow encompassing her hands and lays a calming hand on her shoulder. It works and Emma casts him an apologetic glance before turning back to Anton.  
“Luv, your family is going to be worried and we have a long climb down,” Killian urges her.  
Emma nods and then looks around once more.

* * *

“Are there any others left?” she asks tentatively. Anton shakes his head. She suspected as much, Killian had told her, but she hoped to be wrong.  
“I’m alone,” he tells her softly.  
Emma looks up at Killian with sad pleading eyes.  
“Luv, he kind of stands out,” he reminds her. Guessing what the princess is thinking.  
“I’m sure Regina has a potion or spell that can help him get bigger or smaller as needed,” she argues.  
“What are you two talking about?” Anton wonders.  
“Swan here, has a habit of taking in strays,” Killian surmises.  
“I don’t!” Emma protests.  
“Me, Lilly and Brooke beg to differ. You see someone you think needs a friend, and you can’t help but try to save them. A fact for which I’m grateful, but still. It’s starting to become a pattern, and you just heard how dangerous that can be.” Emma frowns.  
“Are you saying you think Anton got a lie by me?” she argues.  
“No, Swan. I am saying that you can’t make everyone you come across part of your family. If you keep going like this you’ll end up trying to make the dark one a bloody hero or something…” Killian’s eyes widen as he sees the way Emma bites her lip at that last remark.  
“Las…”  
“I didn’t try anything! I swear! But… If I could…”  
“It’s too risky, I don’t want you within miles of that man if it can be helped,” he warns her.  
“He lives underneath my castle Killian,” she scoffs.  
“You bloody well know what I mean!” Killian has never been so angry with her.  
Just the notion of her anywhere near that monster, even if he was behind bars…  
“Is that how you knew where to find him? Did you go looking for him? Tell me you didn’t!”  
To his relief Emma shakes her head impatiently.  
“No, I knew where he was before I knew he was the one who killed Milah, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is whether or not Anton wants to start over somewhere new or not,” she states, turning back to the giant, who observes their conversation with a smile.  
“You really aren’t so different from me. Maybe my brothers were wrong about your race after all…”  
“My dad was a shepherd before he became a prince. And now that he’s a king he tries to avoid violent conflict if he can. He says ‘killing an opponent is easy, it is also darkness. We chose the light, we chose life, we chose the hard path.’” The pride in her voice as she quotes her father makes Killian smile. No matter how conflicted she feels right now, she adores her parents.  
“Do you want to give us a chance to prove that we are capable of good too?” she asks.  
Anton thinks about it for a few moments and then nods, smiling carefully.  
“You two need a lift down anyway right? I could at least meet this family of yours,” he suggests.  
Emma’s smile brightens at that.  
“You won’t regret it,” she promises.  
“I suppose we’ll go give your parents a heart attack,” Killian sighs.  
Emma looks around them and turns to him with a frown. “Where’s the bag?”  
“Luv, I wasn’t going to hold onto it while we were running for our lives. Forget about it,” he insists.  
“Killian, you promised your men!” she argues.  
“I’ll find something in ozz, they needn’t know we came up here,” he assures her dismissively.  
“This bag?” Anton asks as he reaches out to the spot where Killian had indeed dropped the bag, and scooped it up along with a giant hand of other treasures laying in the vicinity.  
Killian can’t believe it. If he brings all of that to the Jolly… That’s more than they usually haul in a year of piracy.  
“If your family is what you claim it to be,” he warns as he puts the riches in his pocket.  
“You get to keep this,” he promises with a pat to his side.  
“Well I’ve never met people more noble than the lass’ parents,” Killian assures the giant cheerfully.  
Emma laughs. “Your crew is going to demand I take you on an adventure every time you visit,” she jokes.  
“They just might,” Killian chuckles. “But better not, the Jolly might not be able to handle the added weight. Whoa!” Without much warning Killian and Emma are picked up and carried outside. When they arrive at the beanstalk, Anton puts them in his breast pocket.  
“Hang on tight!” he warns. And then Anton takes hold of the beanstalk and starts making his way down.

* * *

It’s less than an hour before they are back down and hear Emma’s mother cry out: “Emma!?”  
Hearing the distress, Emma calls down to the tiny figures of her family.  
“Up here! Me and Killian are alright! And we have everything we need. Plus a new friend.”  
“What did I tell you Dave? Brilliant!” Killian adds, unable to resist an implied ‘I told you so’.  
“”Watch out bellow!” Anton calls, waiting a few moments before he jumps down for the last bit.  
Emma and Killian wave down to the family to once more indicate that they are fine.  
They climb out of the pocket and onto the giant’s shoulder.  
“Anton meet my parents king David and queen Snow White!” Emma starts, but before she can continue her round, Anton let’s out a terrifying outcry, much like the grunts and shouts they heard from him when they first encountered him.  
“James!!!!” he shouts, his voice making the ground shake and Emma and Killian nearly fall off. They both manage to hold onto the giant’s vest, though they are now hanging on for dear life instead of sitting comfortably, like they are dangling from a shaking cliff.  
“Emma!” The king shouts worriedly, ignoring the giant completely.  
“I warn you giant! You don’t want to mess with me!” Regina calls out as she readies a fireball.  
“No everyone!!! Calm down and stop this!” Emma shouts as Anton stomps the ground in anger.  
“Do you think I forgot what you did? I didn’t!” he yells  
Emma looks helplessly to Killian. This is why she asked him, he knows this. For moments where she doesn’t see an out.   
“He can’t hear us over his own shouts luv. He’s too big, too loud,” he tells her honestly as they hang on for dear life. He sees her glance at her hands and nods eagerly. If she can somehow stop Anton from being a threat to them, even for just a minute, they can make him listen.  
“It doesn’t need to be permanent luv, just long enough for him to stop and listen,” he assures her as they both hold on for dear live as Anton raises his fist, aiming it at the family below.  
Emma squeezes her eyes shut and focuses as hard as she can. A glow envelops her and the giant, surprising the later so much that he stops mid swing. He examines his hands, watching them get smaller and smaller as he gets closer and closer to the ground.  
Once low enough Killian grabs hold of Emma and jumps down. Her spell remains effective until he is more the size of a rather large human.  
“Alright mate, mind filling the rest of us in? Dave is a stubborn ass, but I don’t think he’s done a single bad thing in his live. He’s your average bleeding heart hero type, like my brother,” Killian informs the giant casually with a roll of his eyes.  
“Anton? Please, I promise you, my daddy isn’t who you think he is,” Emma pleads, pulling on the giant’s robes.  
David takes a deep breath, glancing between the now small giant and his daughter and then Killian, who is positioned in the perfect spot to pick Emma up and run, should it be needed. Killian nods, confirming that he will do just that.  
He takes a deep breath and focusses his attention on Anton.  
“I think you are mistaking me for my twin, James. My name is David and…”  
“A twin?! You expect me to belief that?” Sensing that the situation is about to escalate, Killian gently pulls Emma back. She looks up at him and he looks back seriously. A silent “captain’s orders”.  
David gestures with his hand behind him, indicating the women there should give the two room as well.  
“It’s the truth. I took his place after he died fighting a behemoth. I know it seems like an odd story, but James was taken from our family farm when we were only a few weeks old.”

* * *

Anton doesn’t seem convinced, but before he can shout at him again or swing a fist, a cracking sound makes everyone look up. A giant leaf is falling down, about to crush the party. Killian picks up Emma and dashes farther back, Regina grabs Red and the queen and teleports several yards back towards the trees they’d emerged from.  
When they look back, Anton is crawling back up, but the king is nowhere in sight.  
“Daddy!” Emma shouts, struggling against Killian’s grip.  
“Hold on luv, something else might come down,” he warns.  
“Daddy!” she shouts even more frantically.  
Anton lifts the leave and exposes a breathless David. The company approaches, Killian looking up several times to make sure no more giant greenery comes down to crush them.  
Emma embraces her father once he gets himself to a sitting position, soon joined by Snow.  
The others give the family room.  
“He… he pushed me out of the way,” Anton mutters, still surprised.  
“What did I tell you mate? All noble idiot. No sense of self-preservation at all,” Killian complains.  
David huffs, not sure if the pirate was trying to insult him or not.  
He looks up at Anton as he hugs his family tighter.  
“I don’t know what my brother did to you, but that’s not us,” he promises.  
“I see that now,” Anton nods.

* * *

“How can uncle James be such a bad person when you are the bravest, kindest man in the world?” Emma wonders as she lets go of her father.  
David strokes some loose strands of hair from her face, basking in the praise for a moment before replying. “He didn’t have the greatest role model growing up. Once upon a time, he could’ve been a good man too, maybe, when he died, he still had that potential. But king George isn’t the kind of man to encourage that kind of behavior. How someone is raised, has a lot to do with who they become.”  
Emma frowns and nods.  
“Then I’m glad I have you all to teach me how to be a good person,” Emma tells her parents, though she makes it a point to look around to everyone who joined on this journey.  
“So are we starlight,” Snow tells her.  
Emma gets up and turns back to Anton, ready to say something, but as she moves she loses her footing and falls. Regina catches her before she hits the ground  
“There it is, I was wondering when that spell would hit you. Time for bed young lady,”  
“Hmmm… Five more minutes!” she protests.  
“You can tell us about your adventure in the morning pup,” Red reminds her.  
“Okay,” she complains. “Killian don’t tell them anything,” she orders.  
“As you wish your majesty,” he chuckles.  
And just like that Emma falls asleep in her godmother’s arms.  
“She’s exhausted,” Snow whispers.  
“It’s been a long day,” Charming offers as he takes Emma from Regina.  
“Then let’s get ourselves back to the ship,” Regina decides with a wave of her hand.  
And then they are standing on the deck of the Jolly Rogers.  
“Ah, lass. My rowboat?” Killian reminds her, and with another wave the sloop is back on deck.  
“Thanks,” he says with a small bow. He then turns to the king.  
“The queen and Princess can spend the night in my quarters. It’s the nicest bed on the ship,” he assures the king when he’s about to protest, before turning to Regina.  
“Your majesty if you would be so kind as to ensure that our giant friend doesn’t grow during the night, sinking my ship in the process. I’d be much obliged.”  
She rolls her eyes and after studying the giant for a minute she waves her hand over him with a small smile. “There, if you want to grow to your normal size, just ask,” she tells him.  
“Thank you,” Anton says softly.  
Killian climbs the stairs to the helm with David and Snow to let the monarchs into his quarters.  
Once David returns he sees the captain’s posture, his focused eyes, and he knows he’s about to be demoted to deck hand for what he hopes is the final time.  
“Alright landlubbers, Emma isn’t here to hold your hand right now, so I hope you were paying attention the first time! This ship is leaving within the hour!”

* * *

David has to hand it to Jones, he is a good captain. Not that he’ll actually admit this aloud.  
Under his guidance the Jolly Rogers is turned around and heading back long before his deadline is reached.  
“Las!... Red was it?” he calls out after a while.  
David watches as the werewolf makes her way to the helm, and observes how the captain pulls her to the wheel.  
“Found it?” he hears the captain ask.  
“Good, now you count three stars to the right and you should find a star with a blue hue to it, it’s the nose of the constellation we know as equus. The horse. There’s a long story about it, but what you need to know is that if you follow a little bit up,” David could see Jones guiding Red’s hand along the path he meant, “you’ll find his eye, down his neck, along his back and there his tail starts, it branches out a little, you see?” Red nods and Killian adjusts her index finger a bit more.  
“That is the star you want the beak to point to until it’s time to wake me in two hours. You should have smooth sailing for at least that long. If anything changes you come wake me. Emma picked you as her right hand, so I’ll trust her instincts on this. If your gut tells you something is wrong, don’t hesitate, alright?” he instructs, his voice deep and alluring as he tucks a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.  
Red turns her head with a quirked brow. “I have sharp ears captain, you really don’t have to stand so close to tell me this,” Killian smirks and takes a step back.  
“Apologies lass, didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” he drawls with a teasing wink.  
Red rolls her eyes, but smiles. “I know David won’t say it, so I’ll do it for the both of us. Thanks, for bringing Emma back in one piece. Especially after I failed spectacularly at warning you guys,” she tells him.  
“I didn’t do it for either of you,” he tells her, purposefully not elaborating on her obvious guilty conscience over her inability to prevent the whole crisis in the first place.  
“You didn’t do it for the treasure either. Because I saw the giant’s pocket was full of gold, and you haven’t even asked to get them back to their original size,” she deduces.  
Killian is silent for a moment. “Maybe you are right, maybe you are wrong. We’ll just have to wait and see. Now if you don’t mind, there’s a hammock below deck that has my name on it...” He descends the stairs and is stopped by David grabbing his arm.  
“You aren’t going to take first shift?” he asks.  
Killian smirks. “So you suggest I let the lass have the hardest part of the journey with no real sailing experience? I’m sorry mate, but as you recall Emma was free to enjoy herself the last four hours of the journey, the first two, we had to maneuver through some tricky waters on occasion. So I’d rather take on those, and preferably with a few hours of sleep, it was a bit of an early morning for me. Goodnight mate.” And with a firm move of his arm the captain pries himself loose before going down the hatchet on deck and calling out: “I advise you all find a hammock to sleep mates. It’ll be six hours before I’ll need you back on deck to dock the Jolly properly.”

* * *

[Strangely familiar](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/53791777)


	23. Over the rainbow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When traveling to a new realm you need allies you can trust, a working magic bean, a guide to find your way back, and some helpful locals to tell you how to stop the wicked witch who's out to destroy your family.

**Princess Emma**

**IV Something wicked this way comes**

**V Over the rainbow**

David is pleasantly surprised to find Emma is the one to wake him up. Her eyes bright and her smile wide. He’d half expected the captain to kick him out of the hammock.  
“Daddy, we’re here! I helped Killian dock the ship with Red!” she tells him proudly.  
“Come on! I have something to show you all!” she urges him as she pulls him along.  
David chuckles at Emma’s enthusiasm and tries not to wince as his joints crack into place. It’s incredible how he’d gone 28 years with small and lumpy or even hard sleeping spaces and yet after less than a decade of sleeping in a castle a night in a hammock destroys his back.  
Emma on the contrary clearly had no problem with the captain’s quarters.   
He looks around and sees that he’s the only one who is still below deck.  
“You should’ve woken me up earlier,” he tells her as he follows her up the ladder.  
“Mom said to let you sleep!” she shrugs. David sighs. He should’ve known his wife had noticed that his old nightmares had returned the last month. And even if the hammock had been uncomfortable, he hadn’t slept this well in months. Apparently he was exhausted enough to keep any dreams at bay.  
And his wife had wanted him to take full advantage of that fact.

* * *

Once he steps out into the sun he is greeted by Snow who embraces him and presses an eager kiss to his lips.  
“I get what you mean lass. They are disturbingly sweet,” Jones’ voice pulls them out of their moment and they look up to find the captain standing next to his daughter, leaning against the banister with their arms crossed as they observe them.  
Emma nods seriously. “If I ever get like that, throw me in the ocean,” she tells him.  
Hook chuckles. “If you ever get like that your father might be inclined to ask me to do that to whichever boy you’re with,” he muses, receiving a jab to the side from the eight year old.  
“Seriously though,” Emma giggles as she turns to her parents. “You sleep in a different room for one night and you act like you were trapped on different worlds,” she teases.  
“One day Emma, I pray you love someone so much that every moment spent without them is too much,” Snow tells her, her husband frowns at the mere notion of his daughter being in love.  
“We don’t have to worry about that for the next twenty years so let’s not,” David insists.  
Killian and Emma exchange amused smiles before the young princess digs in her bag and retrieves two chains with items dangling from them. “Look what Anton gave me!”  
They gather around and the humans and werewolf gasp as they see not just the compass, but also a bean in the girls hand.  
“Emma, that’s amazing!” Snow praises.  
“The bean is a bit dried up, but” she turns to her teacher, “I was hoping you knew a way to restore it?” she asks carefully. Regina frowns. “Well there once was a lake with regenerative properties east from here, but…”  
“It dried up years ago,” David says softly.  
“A magical lake, dried up? I thought magic couldn’t be destroyed?” Emma asks Regina.  
“In theory it can be restored, but you aren’t ready for that, and I haven’t attempted spells that powerful since I got redeemed,” she bites her lip.  
“Is there a spell we could try instead?” Emma presses.  
Regina nods slowly. “I know one,” she says as she summons a spell book to her hand.  
“For one bean it could be strong enough… Here, a potion that reawakens magic. Like you said, magic can’t be destroyed. So the bean is just in hibernation until we reawaken it. This potion is normally used to replenish magical energy for those who have overexerted themselves. By example by using their magic to replenish their stamina and then shrinking a giant after staying up for over 17 hours.”  
Emma smiles sheepishly.  
“Don’t try to act cute. You aren’t allowed to use so much as a summoning spell for the next 24 hours young lady.” Emma sighs defeated. She knows it’s not a punishment, Regina is genuinely worried she’ll hurt herself if she pushes too hard, but it’s still frustrating.  
Killian nudges her comfortingly. “Don’t fret luv, you are a force to be reckoned with, magic or not,”  
he assures her.

* * *

David, having had well enough of the pirate for the day, and possibly for this lifetime, walks over to the two and offers his hand. “Well captain, you came through. We will assure you are compensated appropriately, but we must be on our way. I wish you well.”  
Killian chuckles, though it doesn’t sound really amused. He looks up, blue to blue and accepts the offered hand.  
“You too mate. Tell Roland ‘hi’ from me.” David didn’t want to see the sadness in the man’s eyes. He knew, he knew that he might never see either of the children again now that their parents are all aware of their time spend together. And seeing how this affects the pirate nearly makes David change his mind.  
Killian crouches down and pulls Emma in for a hug.  
“Lass, you show that witch what you are made off. I know you’ll amaze us all,” he whispers.  
“What are you talking about?” Emma says as she steps back. “You are coming along.”  
Killian smiles sadly and tugs playfully at her braid.  
“Swan, I helped you get a way to Ozz as promised, but…”  
“So you aren’t going to face the witch with us?” She quirks a brow and then turns to Anton who’s standing a bit to the side, looking out over the ocean.  
“Anton!” Emma calls.  
“What’s wrong princess?” he asks.  
“You are not to give this pirate his payment until young sir Roland has been reunited with his father and the wicked witch of ozz is no longer a threat to the kingdom.” Emma’s voice is formal and commanding. It surprises Anton, but none of the other travel members. The young girl has seen royal decrees being made often enough to imitate the tone and posture.  
“Uh, sure,” he agrees confused.  
“Ah,” Killian smirks, sounding relieved. “Guess I better make sure that you succeed in your mission then. If I ever want to see my gold and provisions huh?” he deduces.  
David pulls his daughter back and kneels in front of her.  
“Emma, that’s not fair. I’m sure the captain has other business to tend to…”  
“Nothing that can’t wait a few days mate,” Killian assures him.  
“Honey, it can’t hurt to have an extra fighter amongst us,” Snow offers.  
David relaxes a little and nods. With any luck they’d be back in a few days. He just needs to tolerate this man’s existence for a bit longer. A voice in the back of his head argued that Hook had protected Emma yesterday. That he seems to have honorable intentions where she is concerned.  
But the nightmares of the last two months are not so far off that he can withstand his need to keep his family close and safe from unknown outside forces.  
“Well, you can’t leave your ship unattended, I’m sure,” he offers again, not very hopeful.  
“He won’t.” It’s Regina who speaks up and points to the docks where a man with a red hat approaches the ship carefully.  
“Captain!” he calls out as he climbs aboard.  
“Mr. Smee!” Jones greets him a pleased grin on his face.  
“You are back! Was Swan’s mission successful?” he asks tentatively, taking in the company.  
“The first part is done, and I have laid eyes on our prize Smee. It is worth every bit of effort I’ll put into seeing this mission through to the end.” David hates that the way Jones winks at Emma tells him that he isn’t just talking about unimaginable riches.  
“In the meantime, I hand the Jolly over to you until my return,” he tells his first mate, who nods with wide eyes and grabs his captain’s hand to shake it.  
“I’ll take good care of her captain. I wish you a good journey.”  
“I’m not sure when I’ll be back, but I shall return with spoils fit for a king.” He pats Smee on the back and then turns to the king with a bow.  
“After you,” he offers.  
David huffs and leads his family, the giant and the pirate to dry land.  
Once on the docks he turns to Hook.  
“You don’t worry that he’ll take your ship and just not come back for you? Or that some other crewmember will take over in your absence?”  
Killian chuckles. “Smee is first mate because he has proven to be loyal to me, and me alone. As for the rest of the crew, well…” he leans in and whispers “They don’t have a death wish.” At David’s pale face he laughs. Was… Was that a joke?  
“Killian is supposed to return with a lot of gold. Even if they didn’t like him, and they do, they’d come back,” Emma reasons. David can’t argue with that.  
“Come on mates! There is a potion to brew, a giant to settle in and a journey to prepare for. The sooner we leave the sooner we return.”

* * *

And so it is that the pirate joins them in their carriages, which were summoned trough a swan delivered messaged sent by Emma as soon as they approached the harbor.  
One for her, her parents, and Regina and one for Red, the pirate and the giant.  
Once they arrive they split up. Snow brings Anton to a guestroom where he can stay until they return from Ozz and have time to find a permanent solution.  
Red and David bring Killian with them to help pack supplies for the journey.  
And Emma helps Regina brew the potion to revive the bean.  
After an hour they find themselves at the breakfast table. Packed and ready, eating a light meal, waiting for Emma and Regina to tell them if they were successful.  
Anton is clearly enjoying the meal and company, talking animatedly with Red and Jones about the many wonders the human world holds, listening intently to the pirate’s stories of grand adventure on the high seas and Red’s accounts of the great war between good and evil the charming’s waged with Regina.  
Snow and David sit next to each other at the other side of the table, ignoring the world around them and focusing on one another. David strokes his wife’s stomach and feels his son move.  
“Just a few more days, then we can put this all behind us,” David assures her.  
“I really hope you are right,” Snow sighs, casting a glance to the doors where Emma and Regina will walk through.  
“Of course I’m right. We will defeat this witch, like we defeated every evil that has crossed our paths in the past, and will in the future.” Snow doesn’t miss David’s eyes darting suspiciously towards the pirate at their table. The man is leaning back in his chair, with his feet on the table, tossing grapes into his mouth as he listens to Red’s story.  
“David, I don’t think the captain is the vile man you want him to be,” she whispers.  
Before David can respond the doors to the dining room open and they all stop what they are doing, sit up straight and turn towards the new arrivals. Emma’s smile says it all. And indeed she raises her hand and shows off a sparkling magic bean.  
“You really did it!” Anton gasps.  
“Magic never dies!” Emma replies proudly.  
“Emma, can you get me a plate? Robin will want to know we’re ready to leave soon,” Regina breathes as she walks over to a mirror in the corner of the room.  
As she talks to Robin in hushed tone to catch him up to recent events, Emma collects a plate for both of them and starts eating eagerly.  
“Slow down lass!” Killian chuckles from his spot across from her.  
She smiles sheepishly. “Sorry, I was hungrier than I thought.”  
Red and Anton join Killian in his laughter while Snow and David look at their daughter worriedly.  
“I did climb a beanstalk and shrink a giant since my last meal, it’s perfectly normal,” Emma assures them. The king and queen relax at that. She is right, they have enough to worry about, there is no use in looking for another crisis on top of everything else.  
A giggle from the back of the room calls everyone’s attention to Regina’s conversation.  
“I have to go, look after my heart,” she says with a hand to the mirror which is matched by her husband’s. “And you after mine,” he whispers.  
His image vanishes and everyone turns back to their food before Regina can turn and notice them staring. “I know you were listening at the end. It was rather obvious,” Regina smirks as she sits herself next to Emma and starts on her breakfast.

* * *

Soon they are all done and make their way to the courtyard. There the stable master waits with their horses, saddled and ready for the trip.  
“Hey there Mira, excited for our trip?” Emma whispers to her horse, who throws her head in excitement.  
“Let me give you a boost luv,” Killian offers as he helps her in the saddle.  
David assists his wife before getting on Theseus and looking at the extra horse Gregory has prepared.  
“What is Roland’s horse doing here?” he wonders.  
“I asked Gregory to prepare Buran for Killian,” Emma explains, prompting her friend to accept the reigns from the friendly smiling stable master.  
“I figured Roland would like to have him with him on the way home. And Killian can handle him. Right captain?” she calls towards the man who is taking a moment to let the horse get accustomed to him.  
“I think me and this beauty will get along fine lass. He knows what he wants and so do I, right mate?” Buran sniffs at the captains hair and when he doesn’t flinch he neighs and nudges his side.  
“There we go,” the pirate smirks as he gets on his borrowed horse.  
“You sure you don’t want to borrow Mistral Red?” Snow asks her friend, referring to the horse Robin left in their stables, unwilling to separate him from Buran and Storm any longer than necessary.  
“I can keep up with you guys on foot. Besides, once this cloak comes off, I’m faster than any of your horses, aside from maybe Theseus,” she reminds them as they all turn to the castle gate, where Emma will make the portal appear. Everyone agreed that she’d earned it.  
Anton stands a few feet behind them, interested to see a portal in action.  
Emma takes a deep breath and throws the bean, creating a swirling portal trough which they can see a tiny village appear.  
“Let’s go save our family,” Regina states as they all rush inside.  
Right after Red closes the group the portal closes and they take another look around.  
“I don’t like this, I would’ve preferred if we arrived in the woods. This is too open, too exposed,” Killian observes, patting Buran’s neck in comfort.  
“Well… Maybe this is a village of nice people, who want us to defeat the wicked witch? I mean, a villain has people they hurt right?” Emma offers.  
Regina and Killian exchange a look and then nod in comfirmation.

* * *

“The witch?” a whisper comes from one of the houses. Followed by more.  
“They are here for the witch!”  
“They’ve come to save us!”  
“But one is a child!”  
“Do they have magic?”  
“They came through a door in the air!”  
“Who goes there!?” Regina demands, unnerved by the whispering around them.  
“It’s not polite to whisper about someone behind their back!” Emma adds helpfully.  
Doors all around them open and they are surrounded by… Well they weren’t dwarves, but they were really short. Even Emma was taller than them.  
“Uh, hi,” Emma starts, her family lets her since she is the least threatening of them all. And the people of this realm look to be rather nervous.  
“I am Princess Emma of the Enchanted forest. These are my parents King David and Queen Snow. My friends Red and Killian. And my godmother Regina,” she introduces them.  
“Your wicked witch has taken someone we love and we want him back.”  
One of the older citizens steps forward. “Greetings travelers from the Enchanted forest. We are the Munchkins. The witch you seek is a great and terrible evil! She has been terrorizing us for nearly three decades!” he tells her.  
A lady steps forward. “She turned our great protector the wizard, into one of her monkey servants and banished all other witches,” she adds.  
“Especially the good ones,” a younger munchkin boy pipes in.  
“If not for Dorothy, we would all be monkeys by now!” a young man exclaims, receiving many nods in confirmation.  
“Dorothy you say? Is she a hero of this realm?” Snow asks.  
The munchkins nod. “She is from another world, but still came to protect us!”  
“Can she help us find a way to stop her?” Red wonders eagerly.  
“She can help you stop her… but there is only one witch wise enough to know how.”  
“Who!? Tell us where to find her,” David urges.  
The people of the land respond by forming a circle along the edge of the town square and dancing around them, chanting a strange rhyme.  
“Glinda, good witch of the South  
Zelena hates her, so she got turned about  
Way up north, find the door and step inside.  
If pure of heart, then she won't hide.”  
And with that they rush back into their houses, slamming the doors shut, but peeking through the windows with curious eyes.  
“I think I prefer the dwarves,” Regina mutters.  
“No sense in dallying. The North awaits!” Killian announces as he turns Buran in the right direction and urges him forward. The rest of the group follow his lead, as it is the only thing they can do at this point.  
Everyone is much more comfortable once they find themselves under the cover of the forest, though they choose to travel in almost complete silence. Only exchanging glances and short whispered conversations with one another. Just in case the witch doesn’t know they arrived in her realm yet.  
They keep riding, only stopping briefly to put on their warm cloaks when the weather starts getting colder. They take this chance to have a short break for a meal and move on.  
It is at this point that Emma starts to get nervous and hums her tune softly. The melody drifts through the air and soothes all of them and they soon find themselves taking turns humming a tune of their own.  
Red sings an old folk song from her village, Regina a song her father taught her, Snow her favorite waltz, David a lullaby from his childhood and Killian recalls an old, exotic tune that somehow sounds both very uplifting and immensely sad at the same time.

* * *

And then, without warning Emma and Regina pull their horses to a sudden stop, causing the others to barely avoid bumping into them.  
“Sorry,” Emma hurries. “But… I think we are here…” she explains pointing to a door, standing by itself a bit off the path.  
“Well… According to those… Munchkins, we have to step through it to find this good witch,” Red recalls.  
Emma jumps off her horse and starts heading towards the door.  
“Red aren’t you coming?” Snow asks as she and David dismount, seeing that her old friend isn’t making any move to follow the little princess.  
“Someone needs to watch the horses,” she shrugs.  
“And keep an eye out for flying monkeys. Just in case.”  
Snow nods in understanding and follows her husband, stepmother and the captain as they join Emma who already ran about three rounds around the door.  
“Well, there’s nothing behind it. So… that only leaves one option.” And with that she opens the door and disappears through it.  
“Emma!” Snow exclaims as she follows her daughter only to disappear as well.  
David glances back to Red with the horses and then to Jones and Regina before rushing after his wife.  
“A portal, and a cheap cloaking spell… Really?” Regina muses as she starts following in.  
“Not going to work for us lass,” Killian warns her. Regina scoffs and pushes trough, only for her to end up… at the other side. “Told you,” Killian sighs, confirming that she hasn’t gone through any portal.  
“If pure of heart then she won’t hide,” he quotes. “I know whatever you are planning for your sister isn’t very pure. Sure it comes from a place of love, but so do my impure plans for the crocodile. We’ll have to sit this one out luv. But don’t worry. They are chatting with a good witch. Probably the safest part of our entire journey,” he deduces as he sits down and looks up at the sky, his hand on something inside his cloak. Regina is pretty sure that that something is a pistol.  
“Great, so I’m stuck here with you?” Regina complains.  
“Well, I could go and chat up the lovely Red, but, contrary to popular belief, I know how to take a hint. Feel free to leave me to myself and chit chat with her though,” he offers.  
Regina doesn’t move and Killian smirks.  
“What’s that? You prefer my company? I’m flattered,” he teases.  
“Don’t get any ideas. I just… About how David has been acting. That’s not him. He hasn’t been himself since Zelena crashed the baby announcement.”  
Killian shrugs. “Don’t tell me he would’ve been any happier with me if we’d met without imminent danger. I’m rather sure that the threat of your sister is the only reason he tolerates me.”  
Regina sighs. “True… But he knows people like us can change.”  
“How was he during your first months?” Killian wonders.  
“Protective of Snow,” Regina admits.  
“As is natural for a man in love. I am not insulted your majesty. And my ego can take the king not liking me,” he assures her.  
“His ego can’t handle Emma liking you though,” Regina smirks. Killian laughs along with her and they start listing their favorite moments of David forcing himself to tolerate Killian due to Emma’s presence.

* * *

Meanwhile on the other side of the door the family of three and a half is taking in their surroundings.  
“When they said she got banned to the North, I didn’t think she’d be this North,” Snow shivers.  
“I’m afraid I don’t have anything warm to offer you.” They turn towards the sound and see a woman dressed in white.  
“Are you Glinda?” David asks. The woman nods.  
Snow looks behind her. “Where is Regina?” she wonders.  
“I’m afraid her heart holds too much anger. Only good witches may pass through my door.”  
“We’re not witches…” David starts.  
“I know who and what you are. And I sense powerful magic within you,” she reveals.  
“Well, you are true love,” Emma whispers from behind her father’s leg.  
“We want to protect our child, can you help us defeat the wicked witch,” Snow pleads.  
“I’m sorry, no. I’m not strong enough to defeat her, never was,” the woman admits.  
“So there is no chance…?” David whispers, pulling his wife closer to his side and laying a hand on Emma’s hair, stroking her head in comfort.  
“There is. Long ago, before Zelena turned to wickedness for good, I gave her a pendent to focus her immense magical potential. It has resided within this necklace ever since. Remove the pendant, and she is powerless. But be warned, only a wielder of the strongest light magic can fight Zelena and accomplish such a task,” she explains.  
“Light magic?” Snow asks.  
“Magic from love…” Glinda looks down to the figure holding on to her father’s hand.  
Emma, after looking up at her father for his comforting smile and encouraging nod, lets go and steps forward.  
“Do you know what magic you hold little one?”  
Emma nods. “Light magic,” she whispers, her eyes wide as she takes in this strange woman that is so revered by the munchkins.  
“Indeed… You might be the only one with the power to defeat Zelena. Find Dorothy in the eastern woods, she will guide you on your path to find Zelena and then you must face her. She is weak against light magic, so you don’t need to be afraid.” Emma nods and then casts a smirk towards her father.  
“I suppose you are happy you brought me along now,” she jests.  
Snow and David force a smile in response, hating the responsibility this woman has just thrust on their eight year old.  
“Thank you for telling us this,” Emma tells Glinda as they bow in goodbye.

* * *

The magic door swings open and the Charmings walk back out, greeted by a curious trio.  
“Well? What did she say?” Red asks.  
“Zelena’s neckless holds her power. If we take it away, she is defenseless.”  
“But…” Killian presses, seeing the tenseness in the monarchs, indicating it’s not that simple.  
“Only someone with light magic has a chance against Zelena,” Snow says softly.  
Everyone looks at Emma. Who nods in confirmation.  
“Seems I was right about why Zelena didn’t even try to turn me into a monkey. She can’t.”  
They let that sink in for a while.  
“Okay… Well this is good,” Regina assures them, turning around to buzzy herself with getting back on Storm so they can journey on. The others follow her example.  
“We know what to do and how to do it. We just have to worry about fighting off a dark one while Emma goes for the necklace. Try not kill any monkeys on the off chance that they turn out to be Roland or some other innocent victim. All that while preferably not being turned into a monkey ourselves. And also try to keep Zelena from taking whatever it is she wants from each of us,” she summarizes. _And protect Emma while she tries to steal my half sister’s jewelry_. She adds in thought.  
“Sounds about right,” David sighs defeated. This might be harder than he’d hoped.  
“Alright, which way shall we be traveling?” Killian’s face is stoic as he says this.  
Emma turns her horse in the right direction.  
“East, to Dorothy.”

* * *

[Surprising Friendships](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/54061687)


	24. VI Courage and Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelena has some ingredients to collect, and if those ingredients are so kind as to practically show up at her doorstep, then ho is she to question her good fortune?

**Princess Emma**

**IV Something wicked this way comes**

**VI Courage and love**

_You look rather tired your highness,” Robin observed. “Is everything alright?”  
David shook his head. “Nightmares… I… I need to get rid of this fear… I can’t possibly protect my family this way,”  
“After my wife died, Friar tuck told me of a root that, if digested, would help one overcome any and all fears.”  
“Where do I find it?”  
He makes his way to the edge of Robin’s old home base.  
“Well, it's said to grow under the white moss at the edge of Sherwood Forest, just south of here.”  
“White moss.” He smiles as he finds what he is looking for.  
“Anything else?” “It has flecks of crystal within it’s flesh. It looks like stars.”  
“Stars,” he whispers as he sees the crystal his guest described.  
“That's why they call it night root.”  
“Did it help you?”  
“I don't really dabble in magic, not unless I have to.” A fond smile crosses the archer’s lips. “I’ll gladly leave that to Regina’s capable hands.”  
“Well, I may not have that luxury.”  
“You should know they, uh, say that that part of the forest is haunted.”  
“Haunted?”  
David looks up as he sees a cloaked figure and his breath catches.  
“You may need the night root to handle the fear of your journey to stop your fear.”  
He had waited two weeks since Robin told him of the plant, not wanting to risk not returning. And now he wishes he held out.  
He rushes through the forest and reaches a tower. He climbs up and finds a woman.  
She looked for the root too and now she is trapped forever, trapped, he soon finds out, by her own fear. He battles the figure but falls down,_

* * *

David wakes up with a start from the memory induced dream. That adventure was years ago. Rapunzel is now happily leading her kingdom and has even found her true love to rule by her side and they have an very cute now four year old daughter together. They really should invite them over for Emma’s birthday party, it has been ages since they saw each other.  
Emma had fawned over little Rose when they last met. It had cemented their belief that she would be a great big sister and convinced them that the time was right to start trying again.  
As his dream fades from his mind he remembers where he is. Oz, the eastern woods. They’d arrived around sunset and made camp. So far their travels had been almost disturbingly smooth.  
He sits himself up and looks around to find a kettle of tea sitting on a smoldering fire.  
He pours himself a cup and looks around. He sees his wife sleeping on the spot beside his, Regina across from them, Red to the east and… he frowns as he spots Hook’s empty spot to the west. He supposes someone had to have put the kettle on. He wonders where he ran of to now though. Bit irresponsible to leave a fire unattended...

* * *

Suddenly, despite the hot tea spreading through him he feels his blood run cold. He jumps to his feet and looks a bit better at Regina’s sleeping form.  
Emma fell asleep in her arms and laid by her during the night, but now Regina is on her own.  
He drops the half full cup on the ground. The fire under the kettle hisses when the tea hits the smoldering logs. Just as he considers waking his wife and stepmother in law, he hears his daughters voice through the trees. She sounds distressed.  
Without thinking he follows her voice through the trees.  
“Don’t worry Emma, daddy’s here,” he vows under his breath as he curses himself for allowing the pirate to come along. He probably bargained clear passage out of Ozz with the witch and plans to leave them stranded here without Emma… but not if he has anything to say about it.  
“That’s cheating luv!” the pirate’s playful voice echoes through the quiet forest.  
It enrages David, how dare he make light of his daughter’s pleas for help…  
But then he hears Emma giggle in response and slows down, finding himself at the edge of a clearing. Emma and Killian are both wielding thick branches.  
“It’s being creative!” Emma argues as she charges, her posture near perfect, but David never taught her that. His heart sinks as he realizes the pirate must’ve been teaching her sword fighting on top of everything else. As devoted as he was to keeping her safe, David never once thought of teaching her the skills she needs to protect herself. But Jones had.  
“Watch your stance Swan, shoulders straight, head held high.”  
“Show no fear!” she finishes with another charge, which the pirate parries.  
“Excellent lass.” The pirate sets in a counter attack and Emma matches his moves flawlessly.  
“Now you’re getting it!” he smiles proudly. Then he sets in a new series of attacks which Emma blocks with increasing difficulty, eventually leading to her waving her free hand and disappearing in a white cloud. She reappears behind him, pointing her branch at his back. “Yield!” she demands.  
The pirate chuckles. “I thought you weren’t supposed to use magic?” he queries.  
“24 hours are over,” she objects.  
“Fair point lass, but if you’re allowed to use magic, I have to get serious.” He ducks down and sweeps her legs from underneath her. She hits the ground with a smack and Killian holds his branch against her throat, putting his feet over her hands without pressing down.  
“Don’t even think about using magic now lass… Yield?”  
Emma groans. “Yield,” she sighs. Killian smiles down at her, steps back and pulls her up.  
“You okay lass?” he asks gently as he dusts of her clothes with her. Emma nods.  
“Thanks for not holding back,” she tells him.  
“Lass, if I was going all out on you then you’d be black and blue all over by now,” Killian assures her.  
“You know what I mean. You’re not afraid to beat me. Even Roland doesn’t always let me lose when we practice. Thank you.” Killian sits down against a tree and Emma joins him.  
“You’re getting better every time. Both at fighting and at magic. That was a new trick right?”  
Emma shrugs. “I can’t teleport farther than I can see yet though,” she grumbles disappointed.  
“I can’t teleport period lass. And I’m many years older than you,” he teases.  
“You are too hard on yourself. I’m sure there’s no one your age in any realm who’s this far into their magic studies, now or ever.” He gives her a small push to which she smiles up at him. David can’t lie. It stings. He should be the one telling her that.  
“Or at sword fighting for that matter,” he adds.  
“I’ll never be as good as you,” she complements him.  
“A student always surpasses the teacher eventually. It’s only a matter of time,” he assures her.  
“All I need is a century or two to practice,” Emma grins.  
“Exactly,” Hook winks.  
David is about to make his presence known, to tell his daughter that he is proud of her and that she has nothing to prove, but then he notices a figure behind him.  
Could it be?  
The hooded figure is moving deeper into the forest, and David isn’t planning on letting it get away. If it is the wicked witch, he can end the threat to his family right here right now.

* * *

“Want to go another round?” Emma asks eagerly. Killian smirks and nods as he gets up and dusts himself off. It’s good to see Emma in a good mood again.  
He was on watch when she woke up and started practicing her maneuvers while she waited for her ban on magic to be over. When he asked what she was doing she told him she was getting ready for the fight. Guessing that she was trying to take on more responsibility than she really should he’d convinced her to take a walk with him so they could talk before sparring.  
He made sure that she knew that she won’t be on her own in this fight. He would personally ensure that the dark one dagger ended in her hands as soon as possible and then all any of them would have to worry about, was stealing a necklace from a witch. And how hard could that be?  
Especially if they have a local hero on their side. Emma had relaxed noticeably at that idea and when he put a branch in her hands and engaged her in combat she’d quickly discarded the concerned frown on her face in favor for the fire of determination and excitement.  
Emma jumps up and is ready to rush back to the center of the clearing for the promised second round.  
“But first!” Killian grabs her hand before she can get too far.  
Emma looks up, ready to argue, and is faced with Killian offering her a sheeted cutlass.  
“I owe you a birthday present,” he grins. Emma’s eyes widen as she accepts the gift and stares at it incredulously. She has wanted a sword of her own since she started her lessons.  
“I had it custom made, the crew and I hope it’s to your liking,” he informs her softly.  
Emma looks at the sheet with wide eyes and then pulls out the sword to take a closer look at it.  
She looks up with a smile so wide it has to hurt. She attacks the pirate in a hug, to which he chuckles and pats her back. “I take it has passed the test?”  
“I love it!” Emma confirms before letting go and taking another look at the intricate design on both the sheet and the sword itself. The sheet has a wave pattern carved into it and at the opening it has a golden engraving of a flower, much like the one on her family crest, and a swan taking flight. The sword itself has the letters ES engraved in elegant writing near the hilt.

* * *

She hangs the scabbard on her left side, opposite to her slingshot.  
Then she runs into the field and starts swinging her brand new weapon around in practiced movements. Until, suddenly she hears Killian draw his sword behind her, while hers meets another in front of her.  
“Step away from the princess lass! Or you will regret it!” Killian warns.  
Emma looks up and sees a dark haired girl with a blue dress and cloak.  
“Hi…” she says with a shaky smile, only slightly distracted by the fact that she can feel a small creature jumping up against her leg. As it starts barking she resists the urge to crouch down and play with the dog. Just the sound makes her miss home. Once back she is going to spend all day playing with Brooke and Wilby, she promises herself.  
“Are you the strangers that barged into the munchkin village?” she demands.  
“That is a child you are interrogating lass. Cut it out, before I cut you.” A dangerous tone colors Killian’s voice in a way Emma isn’t used to. And she knows that this is a glimpse into the notorious captain Hook that strikes fear into the hearts of sailors from all kingdoms. She is glad she got to meet the kind Killian Jones first.  
“Are you a good witch or a bad witch?” The woman presses, ignoring Killian completely.  
“I’m not a witch. I’m a sorceress in training,” Emma corrects.  
The woman holds her gaze for a moment and then lowers her sword, but before anyone can say anything else they hear the sound of blades colliding in the distance along with a battle cry.  
“Daddy!” Emma shouts as she sheets her cutlass and takes off after the sound, closely followed by Killian and the stranger.

* * *

The second David sees his own face staring back at him, he knows that there is only one way to defeat this phantom.  
But knowing what to do and doing it are two different things.  
After all the first step is admitting to his fears, and doing that feels like admitting to failure. And he can’t. He can’t have failed.  
“Daddy!?” Emma’s voice pulls his attention away from his opponent, who is equally distracted.  
She must’ve heard him. Why did she come?  
To his horror his phantom charges at her right when she appears from between the trees. No!  
“Back of! Argh!” It is the pirate who catches the blow meant for Emma and is flung against a tree for his efforts. Because only David can stop this. If he has the courage to confront his fears head on.  
“Hey! It’s me you want!” he calls out and the phantom turns from Emma, who is torn between checking on her friend and helping her father.  
“No one can touch him Emma, except me. You go help Hook.” Emma nods and rushes over to where the captain landed.  
“Still not afraid of anything?” the phantom asks mockingly.  
David can’t deny it any more. Emma arriving on the scene had momentarily paralyzed him.  
“I am afraid. I am terrified I’m not strong enough to protect my family. That I’m getting too old to fight for them. But none of that matters. Because I will fight. Until my dying breath!” He exclaims as he charges with renewed courage and drives what is left of his sword trough him, making the phantom dissolve into nothing.  
“Daddy!” Emma exclaims as she tackles him in a hug. David returns the gesture wholeheartedly.  
No matter what, he would give his all to make sure she, her brother and her mother were safe.  
He looks up and catches sight of Jones standing at the edge with a relieved smile. Had he been genuinely worried for his well-being?  
Instead of dwelling on that the king closes his eyes and takes in the moment.  
This, is right.

* * *

“That man looked like you. It was so scary!” she cries into his shoulder.  
“I know honey. The tea you and Killian made contained night root. It makes one face their fears. Somehow it must’ve ended up in our tea supply…” he reasons.  
Emma stiffens in his arms. “We didn’t make any tea,” she whispers.  
Before he can really process this he hears his daughter gasp and Jones curse.  
“Watch out mate!” he calls out, but it’s too late, David feels an immense pain in his back and his chest. “Daddy!” Emma exclaims in horror as a strange numbness fills his body and mind.  
As if none of this is happening to him, as if he is a spectator.  
He vaguely remembers Shaw describing something like this, when talking about living without a heart to him in the early days of peace.  
And the horror he feels, is no more intense than it was when he heard about it happening to someone else. Less even.  
“David!” he hears his wife scream. Snow and Regina have woken up and found the clearing they’re in, Red is with them too. He looks at his wife and… it doesn’t feel right… He loves her, but it feels distant, incomplete.  
He looks down at Emma in his arms… he feels the need to protect, to treasure her, but it isn’t the way it’s supposed to be.  
“Not another step pirate!” Zelena’s voice comes from behind him. He looks up again to see what is happening. The pirate… Jones looks like he was in the process of charging at the witch, his sword ready to run her trough, but stopped in his tracks. Why? He could’ve ended her.  
“I can squeeze the life out of him, or perhaps I’ll order him to do something interesting first…”  
Is Jones trying to protect him? Why? They don’t like each other… Though he doesn’t feel his dislike for the man his daughter holds in such high regard as strongly now as he did a few minutes ago.  
He looks back at Emma who is still safely in his arms, her attention is however divided between Jones and the witch. A faint echo of the memory of his love might be all he can seem to manage, but he’ll hold onto that with all his might.  
“Don’t you dare. You’ll regret harming a single hair on her head,” the captain warns her. Without his dislike in the way, he can find it in himself to acknowledge that Jones, as pirates go, is not the worst friend his daughter could’ve made. In the very least he will protect her.  
“Oh, how darling. Put that sword away pirate, you’re making me nervous.”  
David, still not looking away from the terrified face of his daughter, is shaken to his core by a pain unlike anything he’s ever experienced.  
“Daddy!” Emma exclaims.  
“Give my husband his heart back!” Snow demands.  
“Do it Zelena! This is between you and me, no one else has to get hurt!” Regina urges.  
“I can’t belief they chose you over me. You’re pathetic!” Zelena cackles.  
“You heard the nice people witch!” A new voice joins the confrontation.  
“Ugh! Dorothy, must you insist on meddling? This is a family matter, it doesn’t concern you,” the witch scoffs.  
“Cut the dramatics and put the heart back or I’m going to have to add some greens to my diet,” Red growls.  
“Why would I let him live pet? He’s served his purpose. Though he can do one more thing for me.”  
“What do you want from my daddy!?” Emma demands trying to get up only to be held down. David isn’t going to let her do anything that can end up hurting her. He doesn’t need his heart to know that.  
“Simple darling. Glinda probably told you your light magic is the only thing I’m vulnerable to.  
So you are going to watch me crush his heart and let yours be tainted by hate. That way I won’t have to worry about you anymore,” Zelena laughs coldly.  
“Restrain her,” she orders and David finds that he can’t help but claps Emma’s hands tightly and hold them against her body, making it hard for her to control whatever magic she would use.  
“Someone do something!” he exclaims.  
“Nothing we can do will reach her before she has time to give another order,” Snow cries.  
David clenches his teeth. “Emma listen to me, don’t be afraid. Think of what I taught you about choosing the hard path,” he tells her firmly.  
“Daddy, no. I can’t lose you,” she whispers trough her tears.  
“You can never loose me. Your mother and I, we are of the same heart. We have been since the moment we met. So my heart lives on in her, and my love exists in you and your brother. Hold on to that, cherish it. And amaze us all. I am so pr-”  
He can’t finish his sentence.

* * *

“Daddy!!!” Emma cries as her father falls over on the ground. Her mother joins her as they look over his lifeless form.  
Zelena cackles with glee, but goes ignored.  
“Take note sis. This is how you destroy a happy ending,” she tells Regina before disappearing in a puff of green smoke.  
“No, no, oh charming,” Snow sobs.  
“Snow, I… I’m so sorry,” Regina offers helplessly.  
“Luv, there’s nothing you can do… We ought to… Leave him somewhere safe. So we can bring him home to be buried properly,” Killian suggests, his voice distant as his mind is only half in the present and half in the past, when he held his own loved ones in his arms as they let out their last breath.  
“We are of the same heart,” Snow whispers. Killian nods.  
“As final goodbyes go, your husband was one hell of a wordsmith,” he agrees solemnly.  
“No. No this is it.” Snow looks up at the two veterans of heartbreak with a desperate sort of hope.  
“Regina, I need you to take my heart and split it, so David and I can share it.”  
The two look at each other.  
“Is she completely insane?” the stranger, Dorothy apparently, exclaims.  
“That’s my oldest friend you are talking about and she just saw her one true love die. Bit of respect!”  
Red bites, ignoring the growling dog at her feet.  
“Please, our son deserves to know his father, and Emma is too young to lose him, please Regina,” Snow begs.  
“Can… can this really bring daddy back?” Emma whispers.  
“In theory,” Regina admits.  
“But Snow, I don’t know if…”  
“You aren’t a villain anymore Regina. You haven’t been one in such a long time. I belief in you,” Snow urges.  
“Just think this trough lass,” Killian warns, not willing to bring up everything Emma stands to lose should this go badly.  
“I am thinking this through. He is my one true love. There is nowhere he can go that I won’t go to find him,” she assures the two.  
Regina sighs in defeat and readies herself. Seeing she is about to be granted her wish Snow closes her eyes and spreads her arms. Giving Regina a clear shot.  
And with one swift movement, Regina now has Snow White’s heart in her hands.  
Not to destroy it, but to save it, in a sense.  
Very carefully she pulls it open and to her amazement it does split in equal halves.  
Not wanting to lose another second she pushes them in their places. First Snow and then David.  
The group waits for a few seconds.  
“Come on Charming. Come back to me,” Snow whispers.  
And with a gasp, the king sits up, taking in his surroundings in awe.  
“Bloody hell mate! You took a few decades of our lives there. Not that it matters much to me, but still!” Killian joked. “Bloody noble idiots, self-sacrificing morons. You and Liam both I swear,” he mutters. “And you lass, aren’t any better!” He berates Snow.  
David ignores him and embraces his family with renewed courage and appreciation for life.  
“I’m so proud of you,” he whispers in Emma’s hair, finishing what he wanted to tell her earlier.  
“No matter what else happens, never doubt that you are my pride and joy.”  
Then he turns to his wife. “You are incredible,” he praises before pressing a kiss to her lips.

* * *

“I suppose you want to apologize now?” Red suggests smugly in the background.  
“Just because it worked doesn’t mean her plan is any less crazy,” Dorothy scoffs, though there is a small bit of awe in her tone.  
The small family breaks apart and turns to their new travel companion.  
“Apologies, we haven’t been formally introduced. I am king David of the Enchanted forest, this is my wife Snow White and our daughter Princess Emma.”  
“Snow White? As in Snow White and the seven Dwarves?” Dorothy asks skeptically.  
“Why, yes,” Snow confirms a little confused.  
“Would that make you the evil queen?” she asks with a suspicious look at Regina  
“I haven’t been called that in almost a decade now, but yes,” Regina confirms.  
“Prince Charming,” she adds pointing to David who chuckles despite the strangeness of the girl’s knowledge about them.  
“Snow’s nickname for me,” he clarifies.  
“And let me guess,” Dorothy looks to Red, specifically at her cloak. “You are little Red riding hood?”  
“Just Red, actually,” she huffs, slightly put off by the blunt girl.  
“Does that make you the huntsman or the big bad wolf?” Dorothy asks Killian, who chuckled and showed off his Hook. “Captain Hook, at your service ma’am. Should I feel insulted that you seem to know about everyone except me?” he muses.  
Dorothy shrugs. “I don’t know all fairytales,” she admits.  
“Enchanted forest you say?” she checks and the company nods.  
“Yeah, sounds like a fairytale land. With glass slippers and cursed spinning wheels and happy endings.” Dorothy is clearly not impressed.  
“We need to defeat Zelena! Will you help us?” Emma demands.  
Dorothy looks down at the young princess.  
“I can help you get to the emerald City where her castle is,” she confirms.  
“But I’ve been trying to fight off this witch for a long time now. What makes you think you are going to fare any better?”  
“We know her weakness,” Killian tells her. “Trust me, I wouldn’t be traveling with this lot if I didn’t think they’d win the day. I tend to only put my money on winning hands,” he informs the young woman while sharing a smile with Emma at the pun.  
“Glinda thinks we have a chance,” Snow adds. At this Dorothy perks up.  
“Glinda the good gave you her blessing?” she mutters, not quite to them.  
“Well. Then you might indeed, be our best hope. Let’s have breakfast and move out.”

* * *

During breakfast, without tea, but with hot cocoa, they tell Dorothy about how each of them met the others, though it was a much abbreviated version of the full story Emma now knew. She feels like they aren’t skimping on details because of the unfamiliar hero of this realm, but for the unaffiliated pirate from their own.  
She doesn’t mind though, because it is a rather long story and they don’t have time to waste. With any luck, Roland can be home by sundown. If they find a way home by then.  
“Emma… What is that?” David suddenly asks, referring to the newly added sword on her belt.  
“My birthday present,” she says simply. And before her father has the chance to think of a way to tell her she is too young to have her own sword or anything like that, she changes the subject.  
“That reminds me. Dad can you give me the pieces of your sword? I saw it got broken during your fight. I might be able to fix it,” she suggests. David thinks this over for a moment and frowns.  
“Something the matter honey?” Snow asks.  
David gets up and walks over to a tree where he picks up the broken blade.  
“My hilt…” he starts as he walks back. “I used it to vanquish the phantom, it dropped where he disappeared and when I… woke up, it was gone… Do you think the witch took it?”  
Regina nearly chokes on her food and looks at David with a pale face.  
“That phantom was created from Night Root you said?” she reaffirms.  
David nods slowly and Regina digs trough her bag and takes out a mirror.  
“Emma, remember how I taught you to use mirrors to look through the realm?”  
Emma nods. “We’re going to use it to talk to Belle, she’s researching what Zelena might be planning.”  
“But I thought you said that Amin isn’t strong enough to look between realms since you freed him,” Emma objects.  
“He isn’t, but I think that with some help from your magic we might open a window. Ready?”  
Emma bites her lip nervously, but nods.  
“Alright, like we practiced. Focus, feel and look inside.”  
Emma closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, moments later Regina smiles proudly at her, indicating that it worked.  
“My queen! Is something wrong?” Amin asks worriedly.  
“We are all as well as we can be. I need you to contact Belle and tell her we found the next ingredient. Courage,” Regina tells him.  
“At your service your highness,” he confirms and it goes silent.  
“Zelena took my courage?” David asks worriedly, rubbing Emma’s back as she tries to remain focused on her task until they hear from Belle.  
“Not in the literal sense, she took a symbol. And in magic, symbols can be very powerful.”  
“My queen!” Amin shouts. “Lady Belle has a lead! Along with the other possible ingredient you mentioned she thinks Zelena aims to cast a time travel spell,”  
“Those have never been done successfully though… Right Regina?” Emma objects, laying her hand on the mirror to strengthen the connection in order to join the conversation without losing contact with Amin. “That is probably why she needs your little brother. She thinks she found the missing piece,” Amin sugests. A silence falls over the group as they process this.  
“Thank Belle for her hard work for me Amin. And tell everyone that we are hoping to return home soon. We have a way to defeat the witch, all we need to do is fight her and win,” Regina informs him.  
“As you wish my queen.”  
Regina puts her mirror away and gets up. “Time to move out.”  
No one argues. If Zelena has a spell to go back in time, to change the past… It doesn’t matter what she is planning, they have to stop her.  
“I thought you can’t change the past. It’s a rule of magic right?” Emma verifies as she signals Mira to start walking.  
“Indeed and the consequences of breaking it are unimaginable. Breaking a single twig that was meant to stay intact could erase someone’s entire existence,” Regina mutters.  
“Ay, and saving a single life could ruin a whole kingdom,” Killian agrees.  
“Wouldn’t you save Milah, given the chance?” Emma wonders. Killian’s face becomes pained.  
He takes a deep breath and nods. “Part of me would. But the consequences of that are unimaginable… For one, I likely would’ve never met you. And I don’t think I can bare to let you face this adventure without me in this alternate future of yours,” he tells her honestly. He’d give almost anything to hold Milah for one last time. Except the smile he receives for that confession.  
Milah, while he loved her more than he could say, hadn’t always brought out the best in him. Or he in her. He was self-aware enough to admit that much.  
Caring for Bea, had briefly shown him the man he wanted to be. And after befriending Emma… Well he is closer to that man now than he’s ever been, even in the years as a lieutenant. And he doesn’t want to go back to the man he was before he met the princess. Not even for Milah.  
That being said, he will still find a way to break the dark ones power. And after that he can try to pursue his own happy ending. After all, if the Evil Queen can win the love of a hero like Robin hood, there might be hope for him too. Emma certainly seems to think so.

* * *

An insistent barking distracts him from his thoughts. Dorothy’s little dog is trying to get Emma’s attention.  
“What’s up buddy? You want to play?” she wonders as she gets of Mira, hands the reigns to Killian so he can tie her to his saddle, looks around and summons a stick.  
“Come on boy, fetch!” She throws the branch with all her might and the little dogs runs after it.  
Giggling with glee, Emma chases after him, catching up to Red and Dorothy who are a bit ahead of the rest of the group to lead the way. It seems like they aren’t as tense around one another anymore.  
“Toto!” Dorothy greets as the small dog offers the stick to his owner. Toto spins around his axis in excitement and the heroine of Ozz chuckles good naturedly as she picks up the branch and throws it.  
“Race ya!” Emma tells him as she runs by. Toto gets out ahead of her, but Emma teleports towards the spot the stick touched ground and plays a game of tug of war with him while Dorothy and Red catch up.  
They laugh good naturedly.  
“Alright, your friends seem like good people,” Dorothy allows.  
“They are, almost like family. But like I said… As much as they love me… Ever since Granny… I feel like something is missing, I just don’t know what,” Red admits in frustration.  
They’d talked about the stories Dorothy had grown up with about the inhabitants of the enchanted forest and beyond. Red had corrected her where she could and they both laughed at the inaccuracies.  
Eventually they talked about the story about Red and when she admitted to being the big bad wolf herself, Dorothy had taken it rather well, teased her a little even. And she found herself opening up even more. Even about Peter. And rather than scared, Dorothy had been understanding even apologizing for calling her Wolfie. In relief Red had laughed and said she liked it, even called the woman Kansas, after the place she said she was born.  
Dorothy told her everything about her own past as well. Red hadn’t expected to ever meet someone who understood being treated horribly by people you’ve known your whole life over something that was out of your control, but Dorothy did. Neither resented those for their actions, from their perspective it was the only sensible thing to do, but it still stung.  
“Red! Where are we heading?” Emma asks when they catch up with her.  
“I’m sorry, I thought I was the expert on Ozz,” Dorothy wonders bemused.  
“You are, but I do know that next we’ll come across… A stream heading North, through a pine forest. A poppy field to the east. Wild berry bushes to the west. And a nest of bluebirds.”  
Dorothy raises her brows impressed. “That is a useful skill,” she praises. Red blushes.  
“Well, comes with being part wolf,” she shrugs.  
“Come on Toto, catch me!” they hear Emma exclaim. Apparently the girl has lost interest in the conversation and prefers playing with the loyal creature.  
She disappears and reappears a good bit ahead of the rest on the path, calling Toto to her.

* * *

“Emma! Stay close honey!” Snow calls out from behind them worriedly.  
But the warning comes too late, because right when Emma bends down to pick up Toto, two shadows appears from between the trees and before she can react Emma and Toto are snatched up.  
“Emma!” Comes a chorus from the trailing group.  
Red however started to undo her cloak the second she heard the creature approach and warned Dorothy to grab it and get on.  
The two are already chasing the flying creature and end up at the poppy field Red had sniffed out.  
Dorothy gets off and tosses the cloak over the wolf, turning Red back into herself.  
Red gets up, not losing sight of the creature hovering above the field with Emma hanging from his paws, struggling wildly. Toto meanwhile is growling and barking at the one carrying him. Causing it to scream back at him.  
“Leave that dog alone!” Emma demands.  
Red is about to rush in but is stopped by Dorothy. “The poppies will put you to sleep before you can get near her,” she reminds her.  
“Emma, can’t you teleport to us?!” Red wonders.  
“If it was that easy I’d be with you ages ago! But Toto!” she protests  
“Never mind him, we’ll get him back!” Dorothy assures her.  
“But!”  
“No buts! He’s a tough dog. Now get yourself to safety,” she insists.  
Emma focusses and next thing they know she stands in between them, hugging Dorothy with tears in her eyes.  
“I’m so sorry,” she pleads.  
“Oh, so precious!” A cruel voice cackles.  
Emma jumps back and looks up. Zelena sits on a flying broomstick, hovering next to the monkeys. “You!” she shouts.  
“Zelena!” Regina calls as she and the others join them at the edge of the poppy field.  
“The whole family together. Isn’t that precious!” the witch purrs.  
“Well, almost. Robin couldn’t make it clearly,” she corrects herself.  
Emma’s eyes widen as she realizes what Zelena is implying.  
“Roland!” she shouts up at the monkeys, trying to figure out which one is the boy they came to save. “Please Roland, you know who you are. You can fight it.”  
“Oh he already did all the fighting when he first changed my pretty. He was supposed to bring you to me. Instead, he jumped out the window and came empty pawed,” Zelena explains before turning her attention to Regina.  
“And if you want to see your precious boy again Regina, you will meet me in the tinman forest at sunset for a witch duel. I will return your boy to you there. After all, it won’t be as satisfying to take everything away, if you don’t have it all first,” she grins.  
“Oh and Dorothy, you can find your pup in the throne room of the emerald palace. I’ll be gone around sunset for my duel, any later than that and you’ll never see him again. So you better hurry.”  
And before anyone can do anything Zelena, the monkeys amongst whom might be Roland and Toto disappear.

* * *

“That evil… If this is fate’s way to make me pay for past mistakes… To put me in the shoes of those I’ve hurt… I’ll never forgive myself. If I’m the reason Roland…”  
“Stop that!” Emma demands.  
“This isn’t about what you did. You were raised in different realms, you never even met! You can’t have done anything to her. This is about whatever reason your mother had to keep you, but not her.”  
Regina smiles sadly at her. “That’s true. But I hurt so many people Emma, and I never got punished. I tried to be better, but I always knew that one way or another, I’d have to pay for my crimes,” she says softly.  
“Even if that’s true, stop talking like you’ve already lost. Heroes don’t do that, right mom?” she insists looking to her mother for support. She knows that times like these call for her mother’s never failing hopefulness.  
Snow nods firmly. “We don’t give up. Not as long as there’s even one person left fighting,” she agrees, grabbing Regina’s hands to squeeze them in reassurance. “This family always find a way back to each other.” It’s a promise and Emma can feel everyone’s conviction.  
“That’s all very touching… But you’ll have to go without me. If you guys follow the yellow brick road, you should come across the forest. You know you have the right one when you come across the cowardly lion,” she instructs.  
“I need to take a short cut if I want to get to the palace on time,” Dorothy tells them turning to Red with a sad smile. “Bye Wolfie,” she says before taking off, not letting anyone get a word in edgewise.  
Emma looks up at the crestfallen look on Red’s face.  
“Well? Aren’t you going after her?” she pushes.  
“Wha… Why would…?” Red stammers.  
“Honestly Red, I’m wondering the same thing. Don’t let her get away, we’ll be fine, promise,” Snow assures her with an encouraging smile.  
“I don’t know what…”  
“Oh please!” Regina scoffs. “Anyone with half a brain can tell. You two were making eyes at each other so hard, I could see it from the back!”  
Red’s blush starts to match her cape.  
“One who doesn’t fight for what they want, deserves what they get. You don’t seem like someone who gives up this easy lass. Go ahead and fight. No regrets,” Killian advices.  
“While I wouldn’t put it that way, he has a point. If you don’t fight now, you’ll regret it forever,” David agrees, much to Killian’s delight. He half expected the king to disagree with him on principal.  
“I knew I’d win you over eventually,” he teases not missing the fact that the way the king rolls his eyes is only mostly annoyed and just a little fond. He really is wearing the man down. Who would’ve thought.  
“Well… I suppose I’m outnumbered…” Red allows nervously.  
“Thank you,” she says with a grateful, yet sad smile. “Hopefully I’ll see you soon.” And with that she runs of. Leaving the company sans one werewolf.  
“Kansas!” she calls out. “Wait!”  
Emma sighs. “I don’t know about the rest of you. But I consider this a good sign. Things are bound to go our way now.”  
Snow nods. “We have to be doing something right if Red finally found her happy ending…”  
“Well. Let’s make sure my sister doesn’t ruin it. I have a witch fight to get to,” Regina announces.  
“Emma, get back in the saddle, we’ll be home by morning,” David tells her.  
Emma nods and runs to where Mira is waiting patiently next to Killian and Buran.  
She uses a nearby rock to climb on so no one has to get off to help her.  
She can’t wait until she is big enough to do this without assistance. Or at least good enough at teleporting to do it with magic.  
“Everyone ready?” Regina asks. As they all nod in confirmation she turns her sights to the horizon where the yellow paved road disappears from sight.  
“Then let’s follow that yellow brick road!”

* * *

[Love is love](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/54348175)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ladies and gentlemen i would like to thank you for sticking with me so far. This story now has a word count of over 105K.  
You my dear reader have just stuck with me for about as long as it takes to read 'to kill a mocking bird', or 'Divergent,'.  
Thank you so much. And we're not nearly done. I'd wager we're not even half way trough the story I have sketched out so strap in. Let's see how far we get.


	25. VII The fight for family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelena has almost all the pieces where she wants them. But will her plan succeed this time around? Regardless, the Charming family can't possibly go back to the way things were.

**Princess Emma**

**IV Something wicked this way comes**

**VII The fight for family**

Every time they approach a forest the company goes quiet, not wanting to miss the lion.  
As the sun progresses, Regina becomes more and more restless. Barely having the patience for a lunchbreak. What if they already passed the tinman forest hours ago? What if they are going too slow and don’t make it in time?  
“Did you see that?” Snow suddenly whispers as she pulls Ariadne to a stop, pointing at movement in the bushes.  
“Yes, there… is that what I think it is?” Regina whispers as she too, catches a glimpse of the figure moving within the bushes. They dismount to take a closer look, Snow wincing in mild discomfort as the baby is clearly not pleased with all this getting on and off of horses.  
Emma helps her father with securing the horses as the others walk over to the edge of the woods.  
“The color of it’s coat matches and the shape seems right… But is it a cowardly lion?” Killian wonders.  
“Let’s see,” Emma suggests as she joins them and lights up her hand. Immediately the figure flees and through an opening in the bushes they can see it indeed is a lion.  
“Poor thing,” Emma whispers, feeling bad about scaring him like that.

* * *

“Don’t worry dear he didn’t run from you.”  
They turn and see Zelena stand a little farther up the path with Rumpelstiltskin, reluctantly standing at her side. Swords are drawn, an arrow is aimed and a fireball ignited as the adults shield Emma from the witch’s view. Meanwhile the young princess tries to peer trough the cracks in the human wall in front of her in an attempt to get a look at Rumpelstiltskin.  
The dark one looks up with empty eyes making the girl stager backwards in shock. Emma isn’t used to this Rumpel. He is usually so comfortable with where he is. And she has only seen him in a dark prison cell. Not that she has seen him that often. Her curiosity had won out over her survival instincts one other time, and that day she decided that she shouldn’t try to visit him again until she has a better handle on her magic as she nearly let him in on her talent that day.  
So for now, she exchanges letters with him, which is to say she shares vague details about her life with him and Belle tells her he enjoys her stories without ever really answering the questions she asked.  
His eyes dart to the captain and his face twists in rage to match the hateful glare and slight petty pleasure the pirate holds on his face while looking at him.  
“Dark one, if anyone makes a move to help Regina, kill them,” Zelena orders , ignoring the interaction between him and the pirate. Fully focused on her sister.  
The adults, except Regina, lower their weapons.  
“Smart move. I’ll admit it was rather clever to share your heart, but that won’t save you a second time,” Zelena purrs in delight.  
“I won’t need their help to beat you sis. I have all the power I need right here,” Regina promises.  
“Where is Roland!?” Emma demands. Zelena rolls her eyes. “I did promise I suppose,” she allows and just like that she is joined by a flying monkey that, with a wave of her hand and a puff of green smoke, turns into Roland. Almost immediately he rushes over to Regina to give her a hug.  
“You came for me,” he exclaims in relief, somewhat muffled due to the fact that he’s speaking directly into Regina’s stomach.  
“Of course we did,” Regina whispers. “Your father is waiting for us at home. He would’ve come too, but someone had to protect the kingdom. Now go stand with the others, this won’t take long,” she promises. Roland nods and walks over to give the Charmings a hug.  
“What are you doing here?” he wonders as he hugs Emma.  
“Making sure everyone gets home,” she tells him with a mysterious grin.  
“I heard you fought like a true knight lad,” Killian grins proudly as he embraces the young man in greeting.  
“Thank you captain,” Roland replies seriously, stepping back from the embrace and squaring his shoulders proudly.

* * *

“Yes, yes. Very touching,” Zelena interrupts annoyed. “Shall we?”  
And with that the fighting breaks loose. Emma and Roland hold onto each other’s hand as they watch from within the half circle of protective adults surrounding them.  
“You can do it Regina!” Emma suddenly calls out. Somehow prompting the others to join in.  
“Kick her butt mom!” Roland exclaims, not caring if he gets in trouble for his language.  
“Don’t hold back your majesty!” Killian adds.  
“For our family!” Snow yells.  
“For our future!” David bellows.  
The encouragement helps and for a while, Regina seems to have Zelena on the ropes. But then the wicked witch feigns an attack towards the audience, making Regina drop her offense in favor of a defensive move. Not with magic, but with her body, prepared to catch the spell instead.  
To everyone’s horror, they hear the sound of a hand magically entering a person’s chest.  
“No!” Emma and Roland yell in unison as Snow and David restrain them.  
A moment goes by where nothing happens safe for a few whispered words from Zelena no one but Regina can understand, and then, with a furious cry, Zelena pushes Regina back.  
Regina laughs. “Did you really think I’d bring my heart to Ozz after you so obviously attempted to steal it at the baby announcement? How dumb do you think I am?” Regina scoffs.  
Zelena snarls at her sister. “This isn’t over. I’ll get your heart sis. And then… Then you will finally lose! And I will get everything!” she promises before vanishing with the dark one in tow.  
“What now?” Emma wonders, realizing that the fight isn’t over.  
“We go where we were heading before Zelena sent our guide away.” Regina says as she points to the silhouette of a castle in the distance.  
Everyone gets on their horses, Killian taking Roland with him on Buran and turn towards the horizon.  
“There we’ll find my sister and defeat her on our terms.”

* * *

When they arrive in the Emerald city, it is abuzz with munchkins dressed in green.  
“Excuse me, what is going on?” Snow asks of one of them as they rush by.  
“The wicked witch, she cursed Dorothy and has vanished!” the woman tells them before continuing with whatever she was doing.  
The travelers share a concerned look before urging their horses forward towards the palace where they find little resistance. Once in the courtyard they get off and rush onwards, Regina barely taking the time to secure the horses with magic.  
Once in the throne room they find Red hovering over an unconscious Dorothy with a distraught Toto licking his owners hand with soft whines. Silent tears run down Red’s face.  
“Red,” Snow breathes as she rushes to her best friend’s side.  
“She… She made me stand guard. It took too long, so I went looking for her. And I found her like this.”  
“A sleeping curse,” David concludes.  
“So… True loves kiss can wake her up, right?” Emma wonders.  
“Yes… But Dorothy doesn’t have anyone here who could… or in her home realm for that matter” Red tells them.  
“She has you doesn’t she?” Emma tells her matter-of-factly.  
“Me…?”  
“We have been over this,” Regina sighs, slightly impatient.  
“It’s worth a try isn’t it?” Snow encourages her.  
Red blushes and looks back at the young woman in front of her.  
“I suppose,” she whispers as she leans down carefully. A split second before their can lips touch she hesitates. Her audience holds their breath in anticipation.  
And then they feel the impact of true love’s kiss ripple through the realm. Emma and Roland jump in excitement, Snow and David hug each other, Killian and Regina breathe a sigh of relief.  
Meanwhile, Dorothy gets up and exchanges a stunned look with Red.  
“Welcome back Kansas,” Red quips awkwardly.  
“You came for me… Again,” she whispers. Red shrugs.  
“Well… Yeah…” Before she can add anything else Dorothy pulls her in and presses another kiss to her lips.  
After a few moments Regina clears her throat. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but we need to know where the wicked witch ran off to?”   
Dorothy doesn’t meet her gaze as she replies.  
“She mentioned something about catching a twister before she threatened wolfie if I didn’t take the curse… I’m sorry. She could be in any realm by now,” she whispers.  
Regina pales. “Not in any realm. She’s looking for my heart. She guessed who I’d leave it with.”  
The rest of the party realizes what she means almost simultaneously.  
“Then we need to get back!” David declares firmly.  
“But you don’t have a bean,” Red objects.  
“We don’t need one. Zelena took a twister,” Emma takes out the compass. “So will we. We don’t need to know how it works to navigate it so long as we have this. Where can we find one?”

* * *

An hour later the company stands in a forest clearing, bidding Red and Dorothy goodbye.  
“You alright Snow?” Red worries as she sees her friend’s face contract in discomfort.  
“Our boy is a bit rougher on me than Emma was it seems. Or maybe it’s just all this excitement,” Snow reasons.  
“Take this,” Dorothy instructs as she hands Emma a wand.  
“It summons Glinda’s bubble. That should make the journey smoother. Sorry I can’t take you with my slippers. But I don’t think I can take such a big group with me,” she tells her once more.  
“Storm’s coming!” Killian warns as the wind starts shifting.  
“It’s alright. Goodbye!” Emma calls after them as the two new lovers start rushing out of the way.  
“And thanks! We’ll try to visit some time!” she hurries before activating the bubble. Mere moments later the get swept up. The horses shift agitated, feeling themselves become weightless.  
Luckily it doesn’t take long. Once Emma is sure they are back on solid ground she undoes the spell and finds that they are in the palace courtyard. The staff members that had been outside are peaking from wherever they’d gone for shelter upon seeing the twister approach.  
Emma relaxes. “Home,” she sighs in relief.  
Then, as if on que, her mother groans in pain. “My love?” David wonders.  
“It… Impossible,” Snow breathes feeling at her stomach. It is noticeably bigger than it was that morning. “I feel like… David! My water just broke!”  
The courtyard is thrown in chaos upon that announcement. Several servants help the queen off her horse and rush her away followed closely by David.  
Killian helps Roland down as Regina helps Emma and they all rush in to follow.  
“My queen! Word from your husband,” Amin calls from a mirror in the hallway.  
“Go on Emma! Put on a protection spell for your mother! Roland, stay with me for a moment!”  
Emma and Killian continue as Roland and Regina pause by the mirror.  
“What happened?”

ONE HOUR AGO THE ENCHANTED CASTLE

Robin was pacing the throne room. Amin had informed him that the wicked witch, Zelena, his sister in law, was most likely attempting time travel. And that couldn’t be good for anyone in the present.  
On the bright side, his wife also had found a way to stop Zelena. He just hoped everyone would make it back home safe.  
“Poor man, left behind all alone,” a honeysweet, accented voice stated from behind him.  
In a fluent move he drew his bow and readied an arrow. He turned around and aimed it at the witch.  
“You shouldn’t give me the chance to counter,” the witch smirked as she waved her hand and caused his weapons to fly out of his hands.  
Before he could respond, she reached into his chest… Or she tried. Her hand collided with something just before his body and she pulls it back with a pained scowl.  
“Did you think my wife would leave me without protection?” he scoffed.  
Zelena shrugged, though she was clearly slightly miffed at her sisters foresight.  
“No matter, there are other ways to get to a man’s heart,” she purred as she pulled out a mirror and held it in front of him. It showed an image of Roland with the pirate captain riding on Buran, accompanied by the Charmings and his wife.  
“He’s alright,” Robin sighed in relief.  
“For now. One twitch from my pinkie and I’ll turn him back. Make him attack all his companions. First his pirate mentor, then the king, then my sister. I’ll have him drag Emma off to a place where she can’t be in my way and then all I need to do is steal the royal baby from a lonely defenseless queen. Just think of how horrible that boy will feel. Watching himself tear his family apart, but unable to stop it…” she grinned. Robin’s eyes narrowed.  
“You know why I’m here. Fetch it for me, won’t you pet?”  
Robin sighed in defeat and walked over to the wall where he opened a hidden compartment and took out a box. He opened it and whispered to the heart inside. “I’m sorry my love. But to give you your best chance, this is the best way,” he promised before handing the box to the witch.  
“This isn’t over Zelena. Evil always fails in the end,” he warned her.  
She gently caressed his face, making his skin crawl.  
“Evil perhaps,” she muses and with a glint in her eyes pressed a quick kiss to his lips, making him stager back in disgust. “but wicked always wins,” she cackled before disappearing.

PRESSENT CHARMING CASTLE

“I’m sorry,” Robin repeats. “I let you both down.”  
Regina shakes her head. “You were faced with an ultimatum. I understand,” she assures him.  
“Any of us would’ve done the same papa,” Roland promises.  
“It’s good to see you again Roland. I’ll leave to meet you there right now. By the time I reach you, you’ll have defeated the witch. I’m sure of it.”  
“See you soon,” Regina agrees. When the connection is broken they continue their way to the royal bedchambers where they can hear the delivery is still going on. At the door they find Emma frowning in concentration, with Killian kneeling ta her side, gently encouraging her.  
“Emma?” Regina asks.  
“I can’t make it stick,” she explains breathlessly.  
“Alright sweetie, I’ll help you through this. Just think of everything you are trying to protect. Make it a clear picture in your mind. Do you have it?”  
Emma nods. “Alright now take that feeling and push it outwards. Let it surround the room… Very good.” They can see a slight shimmering veil appear on the door the spell she was struggling with becoming more solid right when a new sound comes from the other side. It’s a baby crying, her brother is here.  
“Alright now…” Regina gasps in shock as she feels a piercing pain in her chest.  
“Regina!” Emma exclaims kneeling down in shock, making the shield disappear.  
The door opens and a beaming David appears, ready to tell Emma that she can come meet her brother. His smile vanishes though as he sees the scene before him, he glances behind him and shouts. “No!” as he darts inside. It is all in vain though. Only a speechless Doc and a distraught Snow are left in the room. His son, is gone.

* * *

Regina gasps as she sits up, still recovering from the pain. “I… I’m so sorry. She had my heart, and she used it to distract Emma…” she explains.  
“I can’t defeat her,” Emma mutters, still kneeling on the ground, silent tears streaming down her face.  
“Don’t say that luv,” Killian scolds her. David, who'd been frozen in the doorway, turns back to the hallway and crouches down.  
“It’s not your task to defeat her. We’ll stand against her, together. And we’ll get your brother back,” he swears.  
“I know… I mean that I’m not strong enough yet to do it alone… But if Regina helps…”  
“Emma, I already tried, she beat me.”  
“Because she cheated. And because you were still relying too much on dark magic. You always tell me how our inner feelings fuel our magic. Please Regina, if you care about me and my family, fight with that love for us instead of your anger at Zelena. Please, I need you,” Emma cries as she throws her arms around her godmother’s neck. “I’m not strong enough on my own,” she admits once more.  
Regina returns the embrace. “And you’re not alone, you’ll never be alone, even if it seems like it sometimes,” she promises.  
“I’m here!” a shout comes from the hallway. Robin is approaching them.  
“Papa!” Roland exclaims as he tackles his father in a hug. Robin kneels down to catch him and envelop his son as much as possible.  
“Roland, thank the gods. I missed you so much,” he whispers against his hair before looking up at Regina.  
“Amin reminded me that I could get to you faster if I used the mirrors. I’ll help you get your heart back. This I swear to you.” Regina smiles. There are moments when she just falls in love with Robin all over again. Right now is one of those moments.  
“What is going on there?” Snow asks with a tearstained face from the doorway.  
“Snow, go back to bed dear. We are just about to leave to get our son back. You should rest. When you wake up, you’ll have our boy back in your arms and Emma and I will be right by your side” he promises.  
“Roland you stay with her and make sure she stays in bed until we get back,” he instructs. Roland nods dutifully and escorts the queen inside, who lets him lead her, but not without locking eyes with her husband and daughter and mouthing ‘be careful’.  
David follows them in and comes back out while sheeting a new sword. Once the door closes behind him he turns to the group.  
“We can use all the help we can get. Are you all ready?” he asks.  
They all get up and nod seriously.  
“How are we going to find her?” Killian wonders.  
“Easy. She has what she needs now. She’ll start casting her spell. And a spell like that requires a lot of power, and some time to charge so to speak. Emma and I will be able to sense it and teleport us all to her doorstep.”  
Emma nods and holds out her hands for Regina to take. Robin put a hand on Regina’s shoulder, David and Killian took Emma’s shoulders. After a few moments they were enveloped in purple and white smoke.

* * *

When they reappear they find themselves in front of an abandoned mansion.  
“The Tremaine house,” David whispers.  
“Aunty Ella’s old home?” Emma wonders.  
“Look!” Killian exclaims as he points to one of the windows where lights are flickering, indicating the accumulation of powerful magic.  
“Let’s go,” David says as he readies his sword. Killian follows his lead, Robin readies his bow and Emma and Regina look at each other with a firm nod.  
“Don’t worry Dearie, when this is over you won’t remember a thing,” they hear Zelena say.  
“Well, it isn’t over yet!” David exclaims as they appear in the double door opening of the mansion’s salon. Zelena turns around and scoffs.  
“Who’s going to stop me? Little Emma who can’t even hold up a protection spell?”  
The adults narrow their eyes at the witch’s condescending tone.  
David’s eyes dart to the bassinette with his son.  
“Go,” Killian tells him. “I’ve got your back,” he vows. David glances at Emma who nods, confirming she didn’t hear a lie in the pirate’s promise.  
“And I’ve got your heart,” Robin promises as he rushes over to the other side, trying to get to the back of the room.  
Regina lays a reassuring hand on Emma’s shoulder before they approach the witch together.  
“Zelena, stop now!” se commands. “We won’t let you win,” Emma adds bravely.  
“Hm,” Zelena scoffs. “Rid me of those pests,” she instructs, gesturing the dagger towards Killian and David while waving her hand and knocking Robin into an old withering couch that fell apart upon impact.

* * *

“Long time no see crocodile,” Killian quips.  
“Without the dagger, I have to fight against you. I will kill you. I have no choice,” Rumpelstiltskin warns.  
“I’m sure you are just torn up about it, absolutely devastated I’ll bet,” the pirate scoffs, charging at him and getting thrown into a side table for his troubles. “Believe it or not, your death, would inconvenience me,” the dark wizard admits reluctantly, only now noticing that Hook’s ‘foolish’ charge had effectively distracted him from David sneaking closer and closer towards his son. Another magic blast sent him into the wall.  
Emma didn’t have time to dwell on her family’s situation since she and Regina are approaching the wicked witch herself. Emma’s eyes latch onto the dagger in her hand.  
“Come for another beating sis?” The green skinned witch smirks, pretty much ignoring Emma.  
“No, I came for some jewelry.” Regina reaches out for the necklace, but Zelena pushes her away. Emma squeezes her eyes shut and disappears before the witch can attack her.  
Chuckling in amusement at the girl’s apparent cowardice Zelena glances over to where Robin is getting up again and then the other side where David and Killian are doing the same thing. She looks up and made a gesture with her hand.  
“Beautiful one. If you will?” she orders and a flying monkey flies through a window and makes a grab for Killian and David, Killian pushing David away and ducking down himself just in time.   
“Remember! Those monkeys are innocents!” Robin calls out, still untangling himself from the couch as the monkey makes another dive at the pair on the other side. “Don’t worry!” David assures him as he waves his sword in a warning manner rather than actually attempting to harm the creature.  
“I’ll use a gentle touch.”  
“Unfortunately, I don’t have that luxury,” Rumpel starts as he readies a spell.  
“Actually,” Emma’s voice interrupts from the back of the room. Everyone turns and see her standing with a strong spell at the ready  
“You do!” she grunts as she pushes her magic forward and knocks Zelena over, causing the witch to cry out in pain and the dagger to fly out of her hand and land at Killian’s feet.  
Killian grabs it and after only the briefest moment of hesitation, which probably lasted an eternity to the dark one, he looks up at Emma.  
“All yours Swan!” he calls out as he tosses it up. Allowing Emma to catch it when she transports herself to his side.  
The second she grabs it she turns to Rumpelstiltskin.  
Zelena screeches, from where she fell to the ground. “No!”  
“Dark one! Would you please be so kind as to go to the woman you love!” she commands in the most polite way possible.  
And before anyone can say anything else Rumpelstiltskin is gone.

* * *

“Ha! You fool!” Zelena cackles as she gets up. “You could’ve ended this,” she tells her.  
Emma turns back to the witch with a triumphant smile.  
“We don’t need darkness to beat you Zelena. In fact we don’t even need me!”  
Taking her cue Regina makes another grab for the necklace, but Zelena pushes her away in a chokehold. Completely focused on her sister now, the others make their way to their items.  
“Really? The princess has her hopes on you? Only light magic can harm me. And you my dear little sister, despite playing pretend at being a good little witch for almost a decade… You know you’re as dark as they come. It was your destiny to be this way, and now it’ll also be your undoing.”  
Something sparks in Regina’s eyes. And all who know her and see this, know that Zelena just made a fatal mistake. Regina is very particular about her autonomy.  
“Don’t tell me what I can be!” she warns.  
“I tried to be good once,” Zelena confesses. “But it wasn’t in the cards. This is who I am! And it’s who you are!” Zelena’s voice is almost desperate. It makes Emma pause for a moment. She doesn’t have much time though. Her father has reached the baby, while Killian keeps an eye and a blade on the hovering monkey and Robin has reached the heart. Emma even takes a moment to pick up the hilt, planning on restoring the sword later.  
It is time to put a stop to this.  
All look at Regina and nod in encouragement. A silent ‘we belief in you’.  
“You’re wrong sis,” Regina proclaims as she takes in the looks she gets from the family she has earned through hard work and feels their love flow through her. She uses that feeling to channel magic.  
“What… What’s happening? What is that!” Zelena demands.  
“Proof!” Emma exclaims happily.  
“Of what?” the witch snarls.  
“That a villain can change,” Regina says proudly, relieved even. Any doubt she ever had of being truly on the side of good vanquishing as she unleashes the magic and knocks over Zelena.  
“How?!” she cries out as Regina approaches her.  
“I make my own destiny,” she tells her as she rips off the gemstone, causing a green aura to leave Zelena’s person and be absorbed into the necklace.  
The magic circle on the floor stops glowing and everyone relaxes.

* * *

The monkey let out a screech as it descended upon Killian who reflexively makes a few swings at it, attempting to keep it away from him, David and the baby. But before he could make contact the monkey turned into an old, grumpy looking man.  
“Um, hi,” Emma says softly as she walks over to Killian who lowers his sword. “Are you from Ozz? Cause it might be a bit before we can make a portal to send you home…” she explains apologetically.  
The man ignores her and looks around. Upon seeing Zelena he starts pointing and babbling.  
“You, you wicked child! I knew it from the day we found you I knew that you would only cause us trouble! Wicked from birth I tell you.” This strikes a chord with mostly everyone in the room.  
“Apologies mate. You might not have been paying attention, but we just proved that everyone can make a turn for the better at any time. And a child is about as innocent as it gets. So what the bloody hell are you talking about!?” he demands.  
“You knew Zelena when she was a baby?” Emma presses.  
“He was my adoptive father,” Zelena scoffs, hate clear in her voice.  
“But… A dad is supposed to protect you, support and love you… Isn’t he?” Emma asks, looking up at the men of the company who all nod, glaring daggers at the man. Any man who can talk like that to a child they raised…  
“But have you not seen her wickedness yourselves? You defeated her!” he insists.  
“And you might be a big part of the reason why we had to. If you had been a decent father, she might not feel so slighted by her birthmother. Or inclined to take out her anger on her sister!” Killian bellows.  
“Evil isn’t born! It is made. And you made your own worst enemy it seems,” Robin adds.  
“We’ll arrange for passage to ozz. In the meantime we’ll find you a place to stay. Don’t cause us any more trouble,” David finishes.  
“Here let me get you on your way!” Regina scowls as she waves her hand and transports him away.  
“He should be in the servant’s quarters, but he might’ve ended up in the mirrorworld. I’m not sure,” she smirks.

* * *

David chuckles along with the others as he kneels in front of his daughter to show her her baby brother.  
“Want to say hi Emma? He’s waited long enough to meet you don’t you think?”  
Emma smiles brightly and looks down into the bassinet.  
“Hi there. I’m your big sister. We’ll have lots of fun together when you’re older. But for now, I’ll watch over you. Promise,” she coos as she strokes his cheek. The baby reaches out a hand and grabs her finger. “He’s so small!” she squeals in delight.  
“Pardon me!” Zelena calls out. “What exactly do you plan on doing with me?” she asks.  
Emma looks at her father. “Well… That’s really up to Regina. She’s your sister. What do you want to do?” David offers as he gets up.  
Regina looks at Robin who sighs and nods.  
“I won’t leave her alone with Roland for the first few months though.” Regina smiles and tackles Robin in a hug. “Thank you,” she breathes.  
“Try that again with your heart dearest,” he chuckles as he presents the magically removed organ to her. Regina takes it and pushes it back in place. “You are right.” She gives him a long lingering kiss. “This is better,” she teases.  
Then she turns to Zelena. “You deserve the same chance I got. You’ll be taking residence at my castle where I can keep an eye on you… We have a lot to talk about,” she sighs.  
Zelena just stares at a loss for words.  
“And you’re not getting this,” Regina holds up the necklace. “Back until I’m convinced you won’t use it for the wrong reasons.”  
Before Zelena can protest Emma giggles excitedly. “Can I call you auntie Zelena?” she asks.  
Zelena blinks down at the princess. “I killed your father, kidnaped your brother and aimed to kill your grandmother, effectively killing you, your mother, brother and godmother in the process. And you want to call me Auntie?” she verifies.  
Emma processes that for a moment. “Grandma Eve?” she asks, just to be sure. “Is she who you were going back in time for?”  
Zelena just nods, not feeling like explaining the whole chain of events to the princess.  
Then Emma shrugs. “It’ll take time,” she admits. “But after seeing who your dad was… I get that you don’t get what it means to be family yet. And who knows? You and my baby brother might end up getting along really well in the end. You don’t have to be what others tell you to be. You can be part of something. Like this family. Please? Give it a try?”  
Zelena looks around and sighs in defeat. “Well, it’s not like I have anywhere else to go. Or that I have a chance at getting my magic back without permission…” she looks at the pendant longingly and Regina tucks it away in her coat.  
“Indeed. In fact I’ll seal it away with blood magic. But not for my blood,” she clarifies with a glance at Emma. “Just in case you feel tempted.”  
Zelena frowns and huffs, though she seems resigned to her fate.  
“I suppose we better get back to the palace. We need to announce a birth and prepare for the naming ceremony,” David sighs. “And most importantly, have dinner and a good night’s sleep!”  
Everyone is in agreement with that.

* * *

[The truth about forgiveness](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/54598132)


	26. I A new journey beggins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After every adventure, heroes like to gather their bearings and get used to the changes to their lives... They don't always get that luxury. Sometimes a new adventure is right around the corner.

**Princess Emma**

**V To when and back again**

**I A new journey begins**

It took a ridiculous amount of effort to convince her father to let Emma and Roland accompany Killian to the stables after dinner. But in the end, with help from her mother and Roland’s parents, he had given in.  
Emma eagerly leads the way and tries her best to ignore the guard walking just a few feet behind to keep an eye on them. Instead she lets her eyes follow the figure stalking over the rooftops and sneaking into the stables through a window.  
She hurries them all along in order to get a few seconds alone between going in and the knight bringing in the stable master to assist.  
Poor Gregory was probably called out of bed for this. His wife Hanna wouldn’t be pleased tomorrow. She probably should see if Ingrid is still up and ask her to make them something special. She doesn’t think she ever properly congratulated them with their baby…  
She doesn’t have much time to dwell on that though as she sees one of the empty stable doors open and a young, dark haired girl step out. She looks perfectly ordinary to most. But Emma knows that if anyone takes a closer look they might see that from her head grow two small horns.  
“Lilly!” she exclaims excitedly as she rushes over to hug her friend, soon joined by Roland.  
“Well isn’t that a sight for sore eyes? The troublesome trio back together,” Killian smirks.  
“You really went along on the adventure? When I got Emma’s letter I was sure I was reading it wrong,” Lily chuckles as she gives the captain a hug as well.  
“Did everything go well here?” Emma asks.  
“Well there was a tornado near the magic castle earlier tonight. I warned my mom, but by the time she got there…” Lily looks down in disappointment. Even when she tries to be responsible things go wrong.  
“It’s alright. You did your best, and in the end, no one was hurt,” Roland assures her, Emma nods firmly.  
“I feel bad though. You ask me to patrol the skies and keep an eye on the kingdom while you’re gone and all I’ve accomplished is probably terrifying the hand full of people that saw my shadow in the clouds,” Lilly pouts clearly frustrated that she didn’t manage to be more useful.  
“Your time of triumph shall come lady Lilith. Don’t you despair lass,” Killian assures her. Lilly gives him a tight smile in appreciation. Then she shows of the bracelet on her arm and takes a spyglass out of her jacket pocket, her eyes twinkling and her smile now more genuine.  
“I got good use out of these though! Dragons have decent sight from up high, but it’s still hard to see the difference between a merchant and bandits.”  
Lilith’s birthday gift this year was a spyglass with a bracelet-holder for when she is in dragon form. She’s very proud of it and uses it almost all the time.  
“I’m very glad it has it’s use,” Killian smiles encouragingly.  
“Now, enough about me! What about you guys? Tell us everything!” Lilly says eagerly as she and Roland lean expectantly against Mira’s stable door.  
Mira looks up from her dinner curiously, poking her head between the two so suddenly they both gasp and lose their composure, making everyone laugh.  
“Alright,” Emma concedes in between giggles before straightening herself out while Killian turns around to help the stable master to make preparations for his departure.  
“So it all started…”

* * *

Emma proceeds to tell their entire adventure from the moment she stormed into her parents war room three days ago. Once Killian is mentioned she makes sure he is included in the story telling process. Asking for his perspective on all kinds of things.  
Lilith and Roland make the process even longer by asking their own questions and putting in their opinion on certain events or people. By the time Killian and Gregory are done with loading the cart with the promised treats and the payment from the king, queens and Sir Robin of Locksley for saving their sons, Emma is finishing up her story.  
“So then for my last trick, I commanded him to tell lady Belle how he felt about her. I left the room for that,” she exchanges a knowing look with Roland. Both of them know all too well what it can be like to be stuck in a room with a pair bound through true love.  
“but I think he proposed or something. Lady Belle was very pleased when I went back in,” Emma recounts as Killian starts saddling Theseus.  
She should’ve guessed that Killian would take a liking to her father’s horse over the course of their adventure. Killian likes challenges and getting Theseus to listen to you when you’re not his master is a challenge indeed. Yet astonishingly enough Theseus seems to be accepting this arrangement, calmly letting Killian saddle him and secure him to the cart full of delicious desserts, including some magically protected ice cream.  
Pan should be pleased and Emma has assured Killian that if he demands more of it, she will beg and plead with Ingrid to make him some every time he returns to the forest if she has to.  
The giant’s treasure is still shrunken down, but Regina assured them that it will regain it’s original size by first light, since she hadn’t reinforced Emma’s improvised spell on the treasure like she had with the giant.  
So for now it was just the right size to put in the saddlebag instead of being a whole cart of luggage on it’s own.  
Killian can’t help but smirk at the story.  
Swan hadn’t been able to resist taking the opportunity to use the dagger’s power to confront the dark one with some hard truths. Like the fact that he owed his old enemy thanks for not taking the dagger for himself and using it against him.  
“That’s when I gave her the dagger back. She and Rumpelstiltskin walked back to the dungeons and he got back into his cell safe and sound,” she says with a finality that soothed some of the nerves that had collected in Killian’s shoulders ever since he first found out that the crocodile was out of his cage. The dark one actually avoiding killing him when given the chance was even more worrisome. His old foe has plans for him and he doesn’t think he’ll like them.

* * *

“Do you have everything?” Emma asks reluctantly.  
“Aye, everything is in order lass,” he sighs. Because as slow as he was at packing, and as much as the children had tried to slow him down even more, still the inevitable end to this adventure has arrived. And the three of them know that the future of their friendship is uncertain. Though they seem to think that his actions of today should earn him the favor of the kingdom and are hopeful they’ll see each other next month as usual.  
“Do you have to go?” Roland wonders aloud.  
Both he and Lily were fascinated by the adventure, and a little jealous of Emma for being allowed to join the adults.  
Awe and jealousy were also present when Emma showed them her new cutlass. Killian realizes he is guilty of a little favoritism when it comes to these three. Though Lily’s spyglass is also custom made and he is sure that the sextant he got Roland for his birthday come winter is a fine gift as well. He can tell that both the young ones would like a blade of their own though. Even Lily who’d insisted her disinterest in the sword fighting art. Perhaps he can come up with something interesting for next year.  
Is he spoiling them? Maybe. Does he care? Not in the least.  
He just hopes that he’ll get the chance to give Roland his present in person… He stops that train of thought and focusses back on the three children staring at him hopefully.  
“I’m afraid so lad. We should’ve left for Neverland last night. Pan might not be patient enough to allow the Jolly to reside in this realm for another day. His magic will pull her back soon enough, I can’t let her go without me,” he explains and the children nod in understanding.  
“Well, then there’s no use in waiting to give you this,” Emma decides as she offers him a ring.  
A thick, slightly chunky looking, golden band with four ruby’s imbedded in it like flower petals.  
“Cool huh? I made it from one of the poppies from Ozz!” she declares proudly, causing Killian to reexamine the ring with wide eyes.  
“Regina showed me transfiguration spells and once you get the hang of it it’s pretty easy.  
Though it’s not quite right yet. It’s not real gold and gemstones, so it wouldn’t sell for much, but I thought it would be nice for you to have a trophy from this adventure as well…” she explains shyly.  
Killian smiles touched and accepts the gift. “I will treasure it,” he vows as he adds the ring to his right hand, not caring that it kind of stands out. Later he’ll ad it to the bracelet still secured to his inside pocket as a lucky charm.  
He glances up at the stable master who is shifting nervously. Clearly the poor man has other places he wishes to be than on duty to see to it that the pirate captain leaves the palace with his escort.

* * *

“Until we meet again princess. Enjoy your birthday ball. And if you get the chance, let me know how the new prince is called next time you write.” Emma nods eagerly.  
“We will see each other again,” she promises, bravely voicing what is weighing on their hearts.  
“No matter what. You are my friend. Friends don’t give up on each other. Mom never gave up on Red, Grumpy never gave up on mom… I won’t give up on you.”  
“Me either!” Roland pipes in.  
Killian ruffles both children’s hair. Emma’s now loose from her braid, the ribbon he gave her tied around her wrist instead.  
He glances at Lily who smiles up nervously, aware that if Emma’s parents find out about her, she will likely face the same judgement. They both knew this was coming from the start. And it wasn’t fair. Not to Lily. Killian’s crimes were his own, but Lily didn’t deserve to be punished for her mother’s mistakes. He truly hopes Emma’s parents are as good and fair as everyone says they are. But even so, they might be more selective in who their princess spends her time with.  
“Thank you both,” he says, knowing that the young princes and the future knight will keep their word, but that it doesn’t change the fact that right now they are children and limited to what their parents allow. Not to mention that when they grow up, their opinion on him might change.  
Still he dares to hope that even if their parents keep them away from the docks from now on, he’ll keep receiving messages to lift his spirits, and one day he’ll dock the Jolly to find his old pupils grown up and free from their parents’ opinions about him.  
Emma truly has changed him. He hasn’t hoped for anything good in such a long time. Even his quest for revenge was void of it. Just cheer determination and hate.  
Yet now he hopes for all kinds of things. The approval of the king and queen, a chance to escape Neverland for good, a way to rid the world of the dark one’s power… a happy ending for himself.  
He is tackled in a double hug by the children and after holding on for a moment he steps back and mounts Theseus. “I’ll keep an eye out for Brook. Now off we go! The Jolly awaits!” he calls out to the knight that was send to escort him. Or more likely to make sure he didn’t take the children with him.  
“We should get going too,” Roland sighs.  
Emma nods and gives Lily a hug goodbye before she hurried to change and sneak to her personal secret passage out of the castle.  
“Bye Killian! Bye sir Jonas! Bye Gregory!” Emma calls before the two hurry back to the palace.

* * *

“Next adventure I better join you. I can’t believe you defeated a giant!” Roland gushes before smirking down at her.  
“What I can belief is that you befriended him. You really have a thing with strays don’t you?”  
Anton introduced himself to the young squire once they returned from the mansion. Apparently he befriended the dwarves and started a bean farm not too far from the castle. He even got his own axe with his new name ‘Tiny’ on it.  
Emma rolls her eyes. “Now you sound like Killian. Come on! We might get mom and dad to actually tell us the name before they send us to bed!” she urges.  
Roland chuckles and throws an arm around her shoulders.  
“It’s great to be home again,” he sighs.  
“It’s great to have you back. I missed you,” Emma confesses.  
“I’m sorry for scaring you. But in the end it all worked out for the better. We have an entire realm as our allies, Red has a happy ending, Anton isn’t alone anymore and in time I might get an aunt out of all this,” he lists.  
“And the dark one has shown that he prefers to be on our side, over fighting against us. Which is a good thing, but also surprising considering we’re keeping him prisoner,” he adds.  
Emma smiles back at him without comment.  
Rumpel’s final words to her before he was taken back to his prison: ‘goodbye for now princess’ and the fact that thanks to Zelena he now knows her name and that she has magic...  
It leaves a rather unpleasant feeling in her stomach.  
She doesn’t have time to dwell on it though as they approach the reading room.  
The room where she first told her parents she has magic.  
She loves it there. She loves lying on the rug near the fire and looking up from her book to see her parents looking at each other as if they are each other’s entire world. And then they’ll look at her, catch her looking and they’ll smile like she is the sun.  
She can’t wait to have her little brother next to her on that carpet and share glances with him when her parents are like that. Looks that will say, ‘we are so lucky to have this family’.  
As annoyed as she is at times at their ‘true love’, it makes her happy that her parents share something so strong. It makes her feel safe. To know that the love in their family is solid like the ground their kingdom is built on.

* * *

“Are there any other ‘friends’ we should know about!?” This angry shout makes the two children freeze. Roland is ready to turn them around, but Emma pushes on. Why is her father mad?  
And why did he say ‘friends’ like that?  
“Don’t be so dramatic David,” Regina scoffs.  
“I’m not being dramatic! Half the reason I agreed to make you her godmother is because I assumed you’d know to keep those types far away from my daughter!” he insists.  
“Charming,” Snow warns her husband gently.  
“What types? Villains? Like me?” Regina clarifies.  
“You’re not like them Regina,” David dismisses impatiently.  
“Aren’t I? Because when you asked me to be godmother I was still considering maybe turning you into a mayflower. When Emma was born I briefly thought of taking her with me and keeping her for myself. So how exactly was I different?” she snaps.  
“You didn’t do those things anymore… even if you thought of them, you didn’t follow through,” the king argues.  
“And Jones is the same. He didn’t do anything to warrant your dislike. If I recall, he even saved your life today!” she insists.  
“He’s turning my daughter into a pirate is what he’s doing!” David hisses.  
“We didn’t teach her to pickpocket and yet she managed to steal that cuff from him without even him noticing. We’ve been trying to teach her to consider the dangers before acting, not storm off towards a beanstalk and hitch a ride on a giant!”  
“Honey,” Snow whispers urgently, followed by displeased cries from the newborn prince.  
“Sorry Snow,” David sighs as his wife makes soft cooing noises attempting to get the prince to go back to sleep.  
“So this is what being a family is like huh? Can’t belief I missed out all this time…” Zelena chuckles sarcastically.  
“Stay out of it Zelena,” Regina scowls. “Emma is the only reason you aren’t a toad right now.”  
The reformed queen takes a deep breath to calm herself.  
“Emma has always been a headstrong girl. Even before she met the pirate. And he isn’t the one who taught her to pickpocket,” Regina continues their conversation, but now in a hushed tone.  
“Then who…?” David asks baffled.  
“That would be my doing,” Robin’s voice joins the conversation. “I figured with parents like you two she might need to get herself out of a tight spot at some point and some basic lock picking and sleight of hand could be useful,” he explains.  
“And you didn’t discuss this with us because?” David is clearly struggling to keep from shouting again.  
Emma looks up at Roland who seems equally confused by the conversation. It leaves her with an awful knot in her stomach. What is going on with her father? Didn’t he say he was proud of her just that morning? Why is he acting like there’s something wrong with her now?  
“I did. Or did you think that becoming a Merry Miss was only about learning to use a slingshot?”  
Robin retorts, slightly insulted. Emma nearly goes inside to stop them from arguing, but she hesitates. For some reason she feels the need to keep listening from the shadows.  
“I didn’t think it would include turning her into a criminal!” David hisses, unknowingly causing his daughter to stagger back with tears in her eyes. Is that what he really thinks?  
And no one is aware of the kitchen maid listening in on the conversation from the servant’s entrance to the reading room.  
“David!” Snow scolds. “Robin and Regina have Emma’s best interest at heart. And I for one am happy to know that should she ever find herself locked up or ambushed, she’ll be able to save herself even without magic should the need arise,” she tells him firmly.  
“Am I the only one who thinks that an eight year old princess shouldn’t be excited to own a sword?”  
David pleads in frustration, barely keeping his voice down.  
“Emma shouldn’t be thinking about defeating witches, dueling dark knights, allying kingdoms and realms or redeeming pirates! She shouldn’t have spent the months leading up to her birthday practicing defensive spells and translocation on her own. She should’ve been thinking about what dress she’ll wear at her first ball, and practicing the waltz with me. She should’ve been exchanging letters with her friends about what presents she is hoping for. Riding Mira should’ve been the most exhausting thing about the past few days, not climbing a beanstalk.”  
“I don’t see how she can’t have both,” Regina scoffs. “She’s your daughter Charming. She’s too much like the both of you to ever be the girl that sits on the side and lets others fight the battles.”  
“Do you think I don’t know that? Rumpelstiltskin’s prophecy haunts me every day! And every day I can see that she is shaping up to what he predicted for her. And I won’t stand for that! Emma shouldn’t have to shoulder the fate of the realm. Not now, not ever. But here we are regardless.” He grows ever more agitated.  
“I won’t allow it. I won’t let her associate with pirates and witches, not even if it gives us allies. Not if it means she’ll have to shoulder that responsibility. Happy endings be damned,” he chokes on his tears. “Not my daughter…”

* * *

“Em…” Roland starts as he reaches for the princess beside him only to grasp air. He looks around in panic and hears the sound of footsteps running down a flight of stairs. Ice settles into his stomach as he takes off in a sprint after her. When did she leave? What was the last thing she heard?  
Did she hear her mother say that she is happy she can look after herself? Did she hear her father confess how worried he is for her future? Or did she take off before any of that?  
He just catches a glimpse of her slipping through the door to the palace square and follows.  
The sun has set and the lit torches barely illuminate the square enough for Roland to see a figure darting towards the stables. What is she planning? He rushes after her and opens the door just in time to see her put on Mira’s saddle, struggling with the height difference, but determined to leave.  
“Emma!” he calls as she secures the saddle.  
“Please I don’t know what the last thing is you heard, but it’s not as bad as you think it is.”  
“My father thinks I’m a criminal, that I don’t act like a princess should. Fine so I won’t be a princess.”  
She climbs onto a stool and then gets into the saddle. She urges Mira to start walking, heading towards the stable doors.  
“He is just scared for you Ems, if you’d heard everything then you’d know…” he argues as he walks by her side, reaching for the reigns. With a shock he comes to a stop. His feet refuse to move.  
“Em…” he whispers, his voice shaking with emotion. She can’t be serious.  
“Sorry Roland. The spell won’t last long. I just need a head start,” she whispers regretfully before she pushes the doors open with a wave of magic, urges Mira to go in gallop and disappears from his sight. When he regains control of his limbs he rushes back to the castle.

* * *

“And so Mr. Smee learned the hard way that the deck of a ship is the most dangerous after a storm.”  
Killian and sir Jonas chuckle together at the poor first mate’s expense. The journey started a little tense, but it didn’t take the captain long to charm the knight with his stories.  
The sound of a horse racing down the road makes them both halt and look behind.  
In the dark they could only make out it’s light hair and coat and the wild curls in it’s mane. It’s rider on the small side, clinging to the reigns and blond hair waving behind her.  
Killian lets out a curse as he realizes who just sped by them.  
He pulls out his sword and cuts the cart holding his cargo loose.  
“Go get the king, the princess has run away!” he instructs the knight who promptly turns his horse and does as he is told. Killian urges Theseus on and the trusty steed follows through without question.  
Soon they start gaining on the runaway horse and it’s rider.  
“Emma! Slow down!” Killian calls out as soon as he thinks she might hear him. If she does she doesn’t respond.  
“Emma!” Killian insists, worried that she’ll go too fast and get thrown out of the saddle. Emma and Mira are a good team, but if Emma pushes her horse too hard then she won’t have the strength to remain seated. Luckily, Theseus is faster and more experienced with the roads through the forest.  
The distance between them and Emma gets smaller and smaller until finally Killian manages to grab hold of Mira’s reigns, forcing the horse to a halt.  
“There you go, good girl, good job,” he soothes as they come to a stop.  
He dismounts without letting go of the reign, just in case Emma tries to take off again. Which seems likely to have been the plan as the young princess doesn’t seem to plan on getting off her horse any time soon.  
“Swan luv, please get down here?”  
For a few more moments Emma remains unmovable, her posture straight and her gaze directed forward.  
“Emma?” Killian presses. The use of her name apparently breaks through the young girl’s shell. Her body slumps under the weight of whatever had her run away and a sob racks trough her body.

* * *

She turns towards him and throws her arms around his neck, allowing him to drag her from her horse. He puts her down and gets on his knees so he can hold her as she cries into his shoulder.  
“It’ll be alright Swan, I’ve got you,” he soothes her. He can feel her shake her head.  
“No. He won’t let me see you ever again. And when he finds out about Lilly he’ll lock me in my room forever,” she rattles off.  
“Who?”  
“Daddy!” she sobs.  
“Now, that’s just not possible. Your father wouldn’t lock you up. Tell you not to see me? Sure, if I were in his shoes I might do the same. But lock his princess up against her will? Never.”  
“I heard him! He thinks I’m being turned to darkness. He said I was turning into a criminal! That princesses shouldn’t want to have a sword!”  
Killian bites his lip. “I’m sure you misunderstood him. When he gets here he’ll tell you that himself. I saw the way he looks at you the past few days Swan. I’ve never seen anyone look so proud. But he is also afraid. He wants to protect you, but you are quite the spitfire and it’s hard to keep up with you. The thought of you wielding a sword probably gave him a heart attack. He doesn’t know you’re better with one than some of my men.” He leans back to wipe at the tear tracks that run down her face. She gives him a watery smile.  
“You really think so?” she sniffles.  
“Aye, when he gets here he’ll tell you so himself… Once he’s done yelling at you for running away.”  
Emma throws back her head and moans in complaint. “I’ll be grounded for a year,” she concludes.  
“Maybe I can charm my way into visiting you while you serve your time,” he teases. Causing Emma to giggle. “That’s what I like to see,” he chuckles in relief. “But I bet you needed that. It hasn’t been an easy few months for you has it luv?”  
Emma bites her lip but then nods in confirmation. “I was really scared,” she admits. “I dreamt about Zelena hurting everyone almost every night. But when I went to mommy and daddy’s room the first time to sleep with them… Daddy was having a nightmare as well. So I went to Regina and Robin but they were crying together. Everyone was so worried and sad… I… I didn’t want them to worry about me too,” she admits.  
“Now listen here Swan, no one is helped when you pretend you are alright when you’re not. It just builds up in that brilliant heart of yours until it bursts. Just look at where that led you.” He gestures to the forest. Emma blushes a little ashamed. He was probably right. Maybe if she’d told anyone how she really felt the last few months she might’ve gone to talk to her father tonight instead of listening in and running away. She had confided in Killian about small bits of her worries over the last few days and each time she’d felt much lighter. In the future, she promises herself, she will tell someone when things get too much for her.  
“So now, do you feel better?”  
Emma nods, she does. She feels almost like herself again. She takes a deep breath and sighs as she lets go of the last remains of her breakdown. The release of all that pent up emotional energy has a surprising side effect. A wave of bright white magic spreads through the forest. It’s gone so fast that Killian isn’t sure if he saw it at first but then they see something light up on the horizon.

* * *

“Oh, no,” Emma whispers.  
“What’s going on luv?”  
“I sense a very strong magic… I think I accidently gave Zelena’s spell the last push it needed to activate.” Before he can say anything, she grabs his hand and next thing he knows they are miles away from where they started, looking at the old Tremaine estate where something magical is definitely going on inside.  
“Swan! I thought you could only go as far as you can see!?” Killian exclaims.  
“Regina helped me go where I can feel magic remember?” she tells him as she studies the house in front of her. “Once I’ve done something, it isn’t as hard.”  
“We should contact the queen, she’ll know how to stop this,” he suggests.  
“Yeah… You’re right, Regina’ll come any moment now, I just want to make sure no innocent bystander gets thrown wherever that leads,” Emma explains, holding onto his hand tightly.  
Killian is about to tell her that she can do that at a safer distance and pull her towards the forest, but the glass porch doors are blown open by the magic of the portal and Emma almost immediately loses her footing. He braces himself and tightens his hold on her smaller hand, but the delicate fingers slowly slip away.  
“Emma, you have to shut the doors.”  
“I can’t! I’m scared!” she tells him.  
“I know luv, but you have to be brave regardless. Shut the doors!” he insists. Emma nods and looks back raising her free hand as she readies herself for the spell. It’s all too late. Killian feels her fingers slip through his and next thing he knows the young princess is gone.  
With barely a second thought he dives in after her, determined to help her get back home.

* * *

[This again?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/54962434)


	27. II No lasting impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kilian and Princess Emma find themselves in a familiar place with unfamiliar, familiar people. The past is indeed like a different land, things are done differently here.

**Princess Emma**

**V To when and back again**

**II No lasting impression**

The impact isn’t gentle. Being tossed face first on the frozen forest floor from a portal probably never is…  
“Where… Where are we?” Emma gasps as she scrambles to her feet.  
Kilian sits up and takes inventory of his surroundings. “Where is not far from where we started,” he points at the greenery in front of them through which they can see the Tremaine house. Only in significantly better shape than minutes before. “It’s the when that has me worried,” he adds.  
Emma takes a step forward only to have Kilian tug at her cloak.  
“What do you think you’re doing?” he whispers astonished. Surely Emma has more sense than to walk up to the door and say ‘Hello we are from the future. Would you be so kind as to send us home?’. He knows she does. He’s taught her proper decorum for unexpectedly arriving in a different land. Expect everything and everyone is trying to kill you until you are proven otherwise.  
Landing in the past clearly asks for similar strategy.  
“I just want to have a look. See what time it is,” she assures him as she proceeds to the edge of the woods to glance around a tree. Kilian follows her example and takes in the mansion.  
She is right, they have to be able to orient themselves somehow.

* * *

“Someone is coming out,” Emma whispers as a young blond teen appears through the doors with a basket full of laundry in her arms.  
“Cinderella!” a clipped voice snaps with a slight crack, making the girl halt in her tracks at the bottom step of the stairs and turn to the house. “Yes, Stepmother?”  
“That’s auntie Ella?” Emma gasps in disbelief. “But she’s…”  
“14, certainly not older than 15. Just a girl,” Kilian observes helpfully as they watch a stern looking woman and two girls about Ella’s age leave the house and walk up to the road where a carriage is arriving.  
“We are going to the city to buy new dresses, when we return, I want the floors to be swept,” the older woman tells her in an almost pleasant voice as she pauses at the carriage.  
“Yes, Stepmother,”  
“Laundry must be dried, ironed and folded.”  
“Yes, Stepmother,”  
“There is mending to be done,”  
“Yes, Stepmother,”  
“And the silver must be cleaned.” At that Ella looks up. Her face a strange mix of resigned and shocked. “But I cleaned the silver yesterday,” she pleads.  
“Then you shall do it again today!” Lady Tremaine snaps before returning to that almost friendly voice. “And after all that you are to prepare dinner, understood?”  
Emma looks at Kilian with a frown. “They can’t ask her to do all that by herself. I know the house isn’t as big as our castle, but I’ve visited nobility with similar mansions while traveling. They usually have a bigger staff than this. I’d say about ten people at least.” Kilian gives the young girl a sad smile.  
“I think she’s aware luv, she’s looking to have an excuse to be cross with her later.”  
Emma’s eyes grow wide before she glares at the woman.  
“Don’t Swan,” Kilian urges, recognizing that look in her eyes. “The future queen has to be unhappy now so she can earn a chance to change her life. That’s the story you told me.”  
Emma looks at the woman who will one day be the mother to her best friend as all fight leaves her and she lets out a resigned: “Yes, stepmother,”

* * *

“This isn’t right,” Emma whispers. “I don’t care that she gets her true love in the end,” she states as the stepmother and her two daughters get into the carriage and drive off.  
“No one should have to live through this… Kilian,” she looks at him with fear in her eyes.  
“Is… does this happen to a lot of people?”  
He doesn’t want to lie, and he doesn’t want to tell her the truth, so he keeps silent.  
“Did it happen to you?”  
Kilian flinches at the memory. The labor, the humiliation, the utter hopelessness of the situation…  
“Gods Kilian… I’m so sorry… I didn’t know…” she whispers.  
“And I’m glad for that. I’ll never begrudge a child being ignorant to the unfairness of the world.”  
“But it shouldn’t be like this. Not here. Alexandra’s grandfather is a kind man and he was a good king. So this,” she points to the solemn girl who’s hanging up clothes to dry in front of them. “Shouldn’t be happening.”  
“It’s not that simple. I’m sure that they hide her away whenever they have visitors. And the king can’t exactly keep tabs on every one of his subjects.” It’s a strange day indeed when a pirate is making excuses for a king.  
“When I’m queen I’ll make sure no one has to hurt like this. Not in my kingdom.”  
It is odd how often Kilian forgets that his young friend is the heiress to her parent’s throne.  
“Well, first we should get you home, then you can start working out a plan to abolish any and all cruelty from the realm,” he offers. If anyone can do it, it’s her, though he won’t hold it against her if she can’t. Then again, he has yet to see her fail at anything.  
“Well… queen Ella was 17 when she met my mom, so…” suddenly Emma stills. They hear a carriage approaching. Killian pulls her closer to him as he recognizes the uniform of the coachman.

* * *

“Black knights,” he whispers as the carriage comes to a halt by the gate, followed by a smaller carriage that stops besides it.  
“Should we run?” Emma whispers.  
“We’d draw attention to ourselves. Just stay very still luv,” he instructs.  
They watch as the evil queen appears from behind the carriage and walks up to the gate.  
Emma can’t believe that this terrifying woman and her godmother are the same person.  
“You! Servant girl!” the evil queen orders.  
Ella rushes over, fear clear on her face. “Your majesty,” she hurriedly greets with a bow.  
“Where’s your mistress?” Regina demands.  
“You just missed her your highness,” Ella offers apologetically.  
“I am looking for the bandit Snow white, I have reasons to believe she passed through these woods.”  
Emma frowns. She heard that her mother and Regina didn’t always get along, but seeing it is still strange. The hate in Regina’s voice at her mother’s name is unmistakable though.  
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, your grace, but I don’t know what Snow White would come looking for here.” Ella tells her nervously, already flinching away in fear of her wrath. Regina just looks back at the mansion and frowns in contemplation. “Hmmm, perhaps… But just in case you do see her,” she steps closer to the gate, her eyes freezing the girl on the spot. “know that aiding her in anyway is treason. She is a murderer and a thief, don’t forget that.”  
The disdain in Regina’s voice sends shivers down Emma’s spine. She’s never heard her talk like that. Sure Regina was scary when mad, but nothing like this.

* * *

Suddenly both Emma and Ella are startled by a loud banging that comes from the second carriage.  
“Somebody please let me out!” a voice pleads.  
“Don’t,” Kilian warns as Emma is about to raise her hand to do as the woman asked.  
“But she…”  
“Is supposed to be right there. She might have someone on their way to save her already. Don’t deprive them of that part of their story. Good or bad,” he insists.  
Emma nods reluctantly, remembering what he said about not wanting to change his own story.  
“She’s going to kill me! Someone please!” the voice pleads, making Emma want to cover her ears and close her eyes, but she forces herself to pay attention. Her history teacher always warns her that those who close themselves off to the ugliness of the past are at risk of repeating it. Not that he goes into gruesome detail, but he does encourage her to question past events. Like: did king George’s knights deserved to die? Never implying her father had no right to defend himself, but simply pointing out that every casualty is a person, not a hero or a villain.  
Regina points at the cart. “That, is what awaits all who stand with Snow White,” she informs the trembling maid who hurries to nod in understanding.  
“Good. Now go back to your duties and I’ll see to my own,” Regina states dismissively before returning to her carriage. Once the sound of the horses galloping down the road dies out the maid lets out a sigh of relief before returning to her work.

* * *

Emma turns to Kilian. “You don’t suppose time portals are like magic bean portals do you?”  
“Why do you think that luv?” Kilian wonders.  
“Because… when I was about to fall trough I was thinking about daddy thinking I might turn dark and how we’re hoping Zelena will end up becoming good. And then I thought about before my parents were heroes and when Regina was bad…”  
Kilian nods and looks up at where the portal had spit them out.. “You might be right lass… And if that is the case, they share one more important trait.” He looks back at her with an apologetic smile. Wishing he didn’t have to be the barer of bad news. “They’re one way only.”  
Emma sighs and nods. “When we get back we should tell Zelena. She might want to know that we saved her from getting stuck in the past. Literally.”  
Kilian chuckles. “When? I do love your optimism luv. But Zelena is the first who figures out time travel. We can’t exactly knock on a merchant’s door and ask for a time traveling bean.”  
Emma crosses her arms and looks at him with a look that says: ‘Have you forgotten who you are talking to?’  
“My family always finds each other,” she reminds him confidently.  
“And I’m sure there’s a way to get us back home… I would ask Regina, but she won’t help… Blue might be willing, but time travel is technically dark magic…” her eyes widen and she looks back at Kilian. “I think I know who can help,” she says carefully. “But you won’t like it,” she bites her lip nervously.  
Kilian sighs and nods in understanding. It’s their only chance, he just wishes there was any other way… He grits his teeth in frustration as he speaks the name of his most hated foe. “Rumpelstiltskin.”

* * *

[Painful reminder](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/55129450)


	28. III No first encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apparently these two can't not mess with the timeline. Which is a good thing or this part of the story wouldn't be all that interesting now would it?

**Princess Emma**

**V To when and back again**

**III No first encounter  
**Kilian is on his guard. Them being this far back in the past is dangerous for both himself and Emma. It’s a small mercy that the young princess is still wearing her more sensible adventuring clothing instead of any of her nice dresses. If anyone sees her and realizes she is of royal blood they’ll kidnap her hoping for a ransom. Aside from that they can’t risk anyone seeing her use magic because that will cause a whole different type of problems. And if anyone sees him there is a good chance that they either have personal reasons to want him dead or they’ll try to capture him for the bounty on his head.  
In other words he’d prefer it if they aren’t seen by anyone during this little adventure of theirs.  
They trek along the road in the direction of the dark castle. Emma had almost turned the other way to head back to her parent’s palace, but Kilian had quickly reminded her that one, it isn’t her parent’s castle yet and two, the dark one isn’t imprisoned at this point in time. She apologized profusely for the mistake but he waved her off. He can understand that she feels disoriented. Other than him she can’t remember a time before Regina was good and happy and the realm was relatively safe from darkness. Killian on the other hand, had only just started to get used to this world where goodness truly seems to triumph. Until he met Emma, he’d still been apprehensive to believe that an era of light had started.  
It’s a long journey, especially on foot, but the sooner they are back home the better.  
He expects for them to arrive around noon tomorrow if they keep up their current pace.  
Suddenly they arrive at a fallen tree. “What the…” but before Kilian can pay much mind to the random fallen tree in the middle of their path they hear a carriage arriving and he drags Emma from the path to hide in the forest.  
They observe as the carriage pulls to a stop and a familiar figure steps out.  
“That’s my dad,” Emma whispers in astonishment. “But he’s different.”  
Indeed the crow’s feet and faint laugh lines that Kilian observed the last few days are now absent. This is not king David, but prince James. He sees Emma look up in the trees and follows her gaze. Someone else is observing the knights and their prince inspect the fallen tree. Then Emma moves, a branch snaps and chaos ensues.  
The bandit falls and flees deeper into the woods, the prince realizes it’s an ambush and they hurry away. Once the coast is clear they get back on the road. Emma looks white as a sail.  
“Lass?” Kilian wonders concerned.  
“Do you remember when Regina said something about snapping a single branch in the past and erasing someone’s entire existence?” she asks, her voice trembling and her eyes wide as the magnitude of recent events fully registers in her mind.  
Kilian sucks in a breath and bites back a few choice words.  
“Lass… You don’t mean…” But Emma nods. “The bandit was my mom. I heard this story a million times. This was supposed to be where my parents first met… We have to get to Rumpelstiltskin’s palace now.”  
Kilian nods, they couldn’t afford to waste a single second now. Still, it was easier said than done.  
“But how? I’m still impressed that you managed to activate that portal from such a distance, and teleport us there without Regina to help you. But the dark one’s palace is quite a bit farther than that luv,” he argues. He has no doubt she can do it if she puts her mind to it. But her little fainting spell after their adventure on the beanstalk is still fresh in his memory. He isn’t sure if she should be pushing herself so hard so soon.  
“If I have a clear view and some peace and quiet to focus…” Her eyes widen in realization and she turns to him with a bright smile. “I have an idea. Follow me.”  
Kilian does as he is told and about an hour later their path through the woods gives way to a quaint valley cradled in the mountains that bordered the yet to be united kingdoms of King George and the late king Leopold. He is familiar enough with the topography of the realm that he knows that if they can get to the north side of one of them, they’ll have a clear view of the surrounding kingdoms, and with the sky being this clear, they’ll be able to make out the mountains surrounding the dark castle. “Just play along alright?” she urges. Kilian frowns, that implies there is going to be interacting with locals and he still feels that should be avoided.  
“Lass are you sure?” he verifies. Her nod is so confident that he decides to at least wait and see.

* * *

She drags him to a modest farm and eagerly knocks on the door. An older woman opens the door, her eyes red and tear tracks glistening on her cheeks.  
“Can I help you?” she asks in a slightly cracked voice.  
“Well… If it’s not too much, could we rest our feet here for a bit? We’ve traveled a long distance today and would like to take a break from the road.” Well that doesn’t sound too bad. There should be nothing wrong with enjoying the company of a sweet old lady for a few minutes while they gather their bearings. It’s probably a lot safer than wandering the open road for a full day. If that’s what Emma needs to replenish her energy enough to get them to the dark one’s home as fast as possible, then that is fine by him.  
“Oh… well I don’t see why I can’t open my home to such a lovely young lady and her…” the woman looks up at Kilian with a searching frown on her face. It is clear that he and Emma aren’t related so she would wonder why he is with her in the first place.  
“Oh, sorry. My name is Alexandra,” she bows, borrowing her friend’s name. Not very creative but it will be easier to remember. “And this is Neil, a friend of my family. He’s looking after me until I find my way back to them.” He makes a flourish with his hand in greeting. He’ll have to ask her later where she got that name. But he tries his best to print it in his memory and not look too much like this is the first time he’s heard it in his life. And it isn’t come to think of it, though he can’t quite remember where he knows it from.  
“Ah,” the woman nods in understanding before stepping aside to let them in.  
“My name is Ruth, please have a seat,” she offers.  
They go inside and sit themselves at opposite sides of the table only to be greeted by a loud bark.  
“Oh, Wilby! Leave the poor dears alone,” Ruth scolds the familiar dog as he nearly jumps on Emma’s lap.  
“It’s alright miss,” Emma assures her as she eagerly pet’s the energetic younger version of her family's dog Kilian saw napping at a fireplace mere hours ago.  
No grey streaks trough his fur, no exhaustion from years of running and playing and tracking his loved ones. But if that dog is Wilby then this woman is…  
“Do you want something to eat dears?” Ruth, Emma’s grandmother, wonders kindly.  
“No thank you, ma’am. We don’t want to bother you too much,” Emma argues.  
“It’s no bother…” the woman smiles sadly. “I recently lost my son David. It’s nice to have someone around to dote over.” Definitely Emma’s grandmother. Who most likely said goodbye to her son less than 24 hours ago.  
“I’m so sorry,” Emma offers sincerely.

* * *

Kilian smiles down at the young girl. He can understand her wish take the chance to meet the grandmother who’ll give her life to ensure she and her brother can be born. He has few memories of his mother and he’d do anything to meet her again, even if she couldn’t know who he was. Just seeing her smile one more time would be worth it.  
So, while being mindful of the risks, he can help her thank her grandmother for her sacrifice.  
“Madam, if you don’t mind me asking… Has he passed or is he just lost to you?” he asks, his face a mask of confusion, his eyes focusing on something far away. He’d pulled the clairvoyant scam a few times in his early days, before he got that signature hook that would give him away even to those who’d never personally met him. But, he doesn’t think this woman knows much of pirates, and if she does she won’t make the connection between the cruel captain and the man accompanying an 8-year-old.  
Ruth looks up from her cupboards in surprise.  
“I have a bit of a gift you see…” he lies smoothly. “And I am fairly sure that you and your son will see one another again one day.” Ruth looks hopeful at that.  
“You mustn’t ever tell anyone any of this though,” he warns urgently. “The thing about predictions is they are fickle once you try to make something happen or not happen, you already doom yourself.” This was true. He has heard many stories about people sealing their fate by trying to outrun prophecies. It’s why he’s always scoffed at the idea of seeking out an oracle whenever Smee suggested it. He was unlikely to get a straight answer, and whatever answer he would receive would likely be about his own demise rather than his victory. And beyond all of that, he always rejected the notion that anyone could predict his fate, he forges his own path. He sincerely doubts that any oracle could’ve predicted he’d ever find himself the closest confidant of a young princess.  
Ruth joins them with bread, cheese, a canister of beer and some milk for Emma.  
“My son… Will he be happy?” she pleads turning towards him from her seat next to his.  
Kilian nervously scratches behind his ear and then sighs. “Well… Can you really stand seeing him and not mention this conversation?” he presses.  
Ruth nods eagerly. “I just want to know for my own peace of mind. I would never jeopardize David’s future,” she assures him.  
“Alright.” Killian closes his eyes and frowns in concentration, it’s the dramatics that sells the bit after all. After a moment he opens them and smiles warmly to the woman.  
“He will be revered throughout the land, but the praise and admiration from the people of the kingdom will pale compared to his wife’s devotion and his children’s love. Now I might get this wrong, but I see a bright young girl and a courageous boy in a warm and ever-growing, supportive family,” he informs her, catching the way Emma’s eyes water slightly at his gift to her from the edge of his peripheral.  
His attention is drawn back to Ruth as she throws her arms around him. “Thank you. Even if it’s not real, thank you.”  
Kilian returns the hug, a little caught off guard. She lets him go and they finish their meal.  
Kilian feels confident that this wouldn’t have bad consequences.  
Ruth isn’t fully convinced that he truly has foresight so she might just think of it as a stranger trying to offer a heartbroken woman some comfort. Suddenly he’s pulled out of his thoughts by a kiss being planted on his cheek and two hands taking hold of his head and turning him to face their hostess. Ruth looks into his surprised face long and intensely. “May the gods bless you,” she tells him earnestly.

* * *

Kilian blinks a few times, absolutely speechless. This… This was a first. When he sees the king he has to talk to him about the fearless woman that raised him. Because despite traveling with Emma, he is pretty sure he still looks as dangerous as…  
Or maybe he doesn’t.  
He isn’t putting up the usual performance to intimidate his surroundings. The devil may care attitude, the confidence that he draws from surviving countless conflicts in his unusually long life. He’s not been acting like captain Hook, but Kilian Jones.  
All Ruth sees is a gentleman, accompanying a young girl he’s formed a close friendship with, who misses a hand and likes to wear leather.  
His men must never find out about this. And they won’t. The only witnesses are himself, Ruth and Emma. Only Emma knows his true name and he knows that while she might tease him later, she’ll keep his secret. So, for now, he can enjoy being a hero in someone’s eyes.  
He offers Ruth his most charming smile. “You are most welcome lass,” he tells her warmly. Ruth blushes and lets go of his face.  
“Oh, my. I haven’t felt this flustered since my husband passed away,” she giggles looking decades younger than when she opened her door.  
“Are you done Neil?” Emma asks as she puts down her glass. Kilian nods.  
“Aye, we should get going,” he agrees and they both get up. Ruth leads them outside.  
“You hurry back to your parents, they’ll be worried for you,” Ruth urges them kindly.  
“Thank you so much for your hospitality. I truly hope that Neil’s prediction comes to pass.” Emma hugs her grandmother tightly as she bids her goodbye. Ruth hugs her bag, the smile on her face shows Kilian that this small gesture meant the world to the woman. If anything it seems to Kilian that they have strengthened her resolve to ensure her son’s happiness.  
They get back on the road into the mountains, looking back and waving towards the little cottage where they see Ruth waving back at them in the doorway as they go. They keep glancing back and waving until they can’t quite see the cottage anymore. Then they march farther into the mountains until they get above the treetops and see the land stretch out all around them.

* * *

“Who’s Neil?” Killian wonders as they make their way up the swerving path, closer and closer to the point where they’ll reach the north side of the mountain.  
“A king from my history lessons. He ruled during your time I think? I always get confused about when exactly you were young,” she admits.  
“Right,” he mutters, now he remembers. His mother’s kingdom. When he joined the navy he had looked into what he and Liam could remember about their mother. One of the things they found out is that they had actually been born in a small town at the edge of their kingdom. Their mother had come from another village east and met their father by chance, she joined their father in his village when they got married. King Neil had reigned his mother’s kingdom during that time, his son had taken over around the time he left for Neverland. He supposes there were worse kings who’s names Emma could have borrowed. Just then he pat swerves around the mountainside and they get the long-anticipated view of the northern kingdoms.  
“There.” Kilian points to where he spots the dark mountains.  
Emma nods and closes her eyes. “He’s not using any magic right now… But I can feel it. It’s like…” she looks up at him. “You know how you say you can feel a storm coming?”  
Kilian nods, it is something he can’t quite teach her. It’s only learned from experience.  
“It’s a little like that. Magic is all around, like the air. Regina taught me to spot it. Each type has it’s own feel. Regina’s is a bit… Spicy? Blue feels like the morning sun. What I feel in those mountains… There is a storm brewing.”  
He can hear the hesitance in her voice. He lays his hand on her shoulder and gives her a gentle squeeze. He doesn’t push her.  
If she compared the dark one’s domain to a storm, it most likely makes her want to get away, avoid it at all costs. But now they need to go there. She has to force her magic to go against her instincts and bring her closer to the danger. Nothing good will come from rushing her.  
“You don’t need to get us to the front door luv. Just as close as you are comfortable with and we’ll walk the last bit alright?”  
She nods and with a final deep breath, they disappear from the path.  


* * *

[Some things just can't be helped](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/55396072)


	29. IV I'm the savior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Facing the dark one is a dangerous task under normal circumstances. Doing so while in the past with his mortal enemy... That's bordering on the insane. Will our young princess manage to convince the dark sorcerer that she and her friend are from the future and that he has to let them live?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone,  
I hope you are all being safe as you can be. To those who have to stay home from work or school, I hope this chapter can entertain you for a little bit. For those who have to go to work to keep your country going thank you so much and stay safe. We all have to do our best to get through this crisis. There is a lot of misinformation and fearmongering and god knows what other nonsense we really could do without right now. Don't let it distract you from the important things.  
So be safe, be smart and most of all, keep each other's spirits up.  
Now, please enjoy this week's update.

**Princess Emma**

**V To when and back again**

**IV I'm the savior  
  
**They look upon the castle nestled in the mountains ahead of them.  
“I have visited lady Belle here before… It looks the same, but…” Emma frowns uneasily.  
“Aye, I can feel it too. It’s a dreadful place,” Killian nods. Every nerve in his body is on high alert. His survival instincts tell him to turn and leave. But they have to be here, they have to get back.  
“Sorry I couldn’t get us any closer. It’s…”  
“There are only two reasons any sailor goes into a storm,” he interrupts her apology, looking her in the eyes to make sure that his words truly sink in.  
“Out of sheer stupidity or because they’re out of options.” His brother was not stupid after all. If he’d seen another way he wouldn’t have risked it.  
“We,” he gestures to the both of them with his hook, “are out of options.”  
He offers her a small smirk to lighten the mood, which she rewards with a tight smile of her own.  
By the gods, he hopes they’ll be able to laugh about this someday.  
“So what do we do? Knock on the door and ask him for help? Will he believe us?”  
“Well…” Killian hesitates. “It’s probably for the better if I stay here and wait for you luv. The dark one and I have what you could call a complicated history. He won’t listen to a word we say if I’m there… Actually I’d wager he’d kill me on sight.”

* * *

“Oh, I’ll take that bet!”  
Emma lets out a high pitched scream in surprise as they turn around to the source of that sound.  
Killian doesn’t even reach for his sword. He straightens his posture, his mind frantically searching for the words to keep the dark one from finishing what he started so long ago.  
“Oh, I can’t tell you how long I’ve been looking forward to this!” the sorcerer exclaims gleefully.  
“Oops, I suppose I just did.” And then Killian feels his throat being squeezed tight.  
“Swan run!” He manages to force out with his last bit of breath.  
“You leave him alone!” Emma exclaims, her voice quivering with fear, but loud with determination, as she lets out a blast of light magic.  
Killian is suddenly released and falls down to the ground, struggling to catch his breath. Whether the spell actually broke the dark one’s hold or because the magic caught the dark one of guard for a moment, he doesn’t care. He’s just grateful to have air once more entering his lungs.  
“Who are you, little witch?” Rumpelstiltskin hisses as he glares at Emma. Killian gets up and rubs his throat. He’ll never again complain about the dark one not trying to kill him.  
“I am not a witch,” Emma insists with a frustrated frown.  
“I am the product of true love, I’m the savior.” Killian memorizes the term and makes a mental note to ask about it later.  
The Dark one is perplexed. “That’s speculation, part of my plan. But I haven’t done it yet.”  
“Well, you will. It won’t go as you planned. But I know about the dark curse. I know I was supposed to break it. Things go different, but your plan is still on track. You told me so yourself.”  
Did any of this have to do with the price she says she has to pay for her magic?  
“If what you say is true… Then that can only mean…”  
“We’re from the future mate,” Killian confirms.  
Rumpelstiltskin glares at him. “But time travel hasn’t been done ‘mate’.” The disdain is clear to everyone.  
“There’s a first time for everything,” Emma argues. “Our problem is the person who figured out how to open the portal didn’t exactly figure out how to get back once they did what they planned on doing in the past. I was hoping you would know how we get back home.”  
Rumpelstiltskin giggles. “Oh, you say that so darling…” His amusement dies and his voice becomes a sneer. “Give me one reason why I should help _him_.”  
Killian narrows his eyes at the dark one. If he has to perish so Emma gets home then so be it. It’d be the least he could do to make up for his past crimes. Though he’d prefer to go back with her.  
“I… You had a chance to kill him earlier today,” she says slowly as if she is just realizing this now, which might be the case. It’s been a hectic day and she is clearly still processing everything or the emotional outburst that got them here wouldn’t have happened.  
“…but you didn’t. You need him for something.” It should probably be more alarming that Emma already understands how the dark one works, but right now it means she might actually convince him to help them.  
“I need him…” Rumpelstiltskin’s displeased face is almost worth whatever part he’s going to be forced to play.  
“For your happy ending. At least that’s what it all seems to be about. For you to get your happy ending. You seem to think it’s close.”  
And suddenly the crocodile isn’t vicious or insane, he looks almost peaceful. It doesn’t last long though.

* * *

“But how are you…” he wonders looking down at Emma. “No, best not ask. If I can still get my happy ending, then I don’t want anything in my head that throws it off,” he states. Emma glances back to Killian and bites her lip. “Well… It might be a little thrown off…” she admits.  
A few second’s tick by as Rumpelstiltskin processes that information. “You’ve changed things,” he realizes exasperatedly. “What did you do?” he demands.  
“We… Well, I, interrupted my parents' first meeting.” The look on the Dark One’s face is clear, this is disastrous.  
“Follow me,” he instructs and then they appear at the front gates of the palace and are guided to what looks like a dining room/study.  
“Thanks for believing us,” Emma says as she follows the dark one to the end of a long table.  
“About the time travel or that I actually let the pirate live?” The glare he sends him makes it clear that this is still high on his to-do list.  
“Well, if it makes you feel better, I didn’t kill you either,” Killian huffs, shuddering slightly at the memory. Touching the dagger… He hadn’t been prepared for that feeling. The power, the temptation. It was like the cursed blade latched onto the darkness within himself and whispered to it, fueling his worst instincts. He still isn’t sure how he hadn’t given in…  
The crocodile looks as incredulous at that information as Killian feels at remembering his own actions. Not stealing the dagger from lady Belle was one thing. Not at least putting a plan in place to do so was another, not entering the dungeons to taunt the crocodile a little was still another matter. But with vengeance literally in his hand… He had refused. Centuries of single-minded fury and he hadn’t done it.  
“He had your dagger for a moment and passed it straight on to me.”  
Emma’s proud smile as she recalls that split-second decision makes him feel a little proud as well.  
“Rumplestiltskin, you're, you're back.” They turn around and see a surprisingly timid Belle approach them. She looks between the guests with a curious frown before turning to the dark one.  
“Do you, uh do you need anything?”  
“Belle!” Emma sighs relieved without thinking. Killian nudges her in admonishment.  
“Do we know each other?” Belle frowns curiously.  
“Well…”Emma searched her mind. “I heard about your sacrifice for your kingdom… And Um, mister Ru… I mean The Dark One, told us about you,” she tells her.  
“Did he?” she asks intrigued. “No!” the dark one snaps embarrassed.  
“Go away and read a book or whatever it is you like to do,” he instructs dismissively. “Come back and clean later.” Emma chuckles, men can be so weird about the people they love sometimes. She recalled Pinocchio was weirdly similar towards a girl he later admitted to have a crush on. Those feelings had passed as quickly as they surfaced, but in the meantime, he mainly gave the poor confused girl the cold shoulder while also doing nice things.  
“You could ask nicely,” Belle points out, much to Killian’s amusement.  
“I could also turn you into a toad,” Rumpelstiltskin shoots back.  
Belle huffs and leaves.  
“Oh, I like her,” Killian tells Emma in a whisper.  
“Me too, she keeps him in line doesn’t she?” Emma giggles.  
“His character certainly improves immensely when she enters the room,” he agrees.  
“What are you two gossiping about?” The dark one huffs.  
“Do you want to throw off the timeline?” Emma replies coyly.  
“Or do you want to get it back on track?” Killian finishes.

* * *

The dark one thinks this over and then concedes. “Yes, your parents,” he recalls as he addresses Emma. “Who are they?”  
“Snow White and Prince Charming,” she states proudly.  
“Prince Charming?” Rumpelstiltskin frowns confused.  
“That nickname doesn’t catch on until later luv,” Killian reminds her. “His real name is Prince James. Or at least, that’s what the kingdom is led to believe,” he explains.  
“King George's son, who's wedding I've just arranged?” Rumpel points out.  
“That wedding isn't supposed to happen because the ring he was going to give her gets stolen by mom. Daddy is supposed to help auntie Abbigail with reviving her true love so she can marry him. Then he’ll go after mom and save her from the forgetting potion,” Emma rushes through the explanation.  
“It's quite a tale you're spinning,” Rumpel mutters, a little skeptic.  
“It’s the truth! I’m born in October, about two years from now. Do you know how much can change in that time?” Emma insists.  
“We need to get Queen, I mean princess Snow to steal that ring so we can put their story back on track,” Killian states firmly.  
“You're in luck,” Rumpelstiltskin grins. “There's a ball tonight at King Midas' castle. Prince James will be there and so will his ring.”  
“So we just need to get mom to go there,” Emma says it as if it’s easy as pie, so Killian feels he has to be the voice of reason.  
“How? We don't even know where she is,” he reminds her.  
Rumpelstiltskin clears his throat. “Allow me.” And with a flourish, there appears a scrying bowl in front of them. Emma gasps as she sees her mother talk to a pirate with wild curls and wax mustache.  
“She's with Black Beard,” Killian observes displeased. He didn’t like the pirate. He’d shown up fifteen… or rather three years ago and made quite a name for himself. Clearly vying for Killian’s title of king of the sea, one he’d earned by captaining the fiercest crew of the entire realm for over a century. The man had no honor, no respect and was without any form of conscience. What he does have, it seems is some kind of method of maintaining his age the past century even if he couldn’t hold onto his crew.  
“She's trying to secure passage on his ship,” he observes putting his thoughts on Blackbeard aside for now.  
When the pirate leaves an unhappy-looking Snow White Emma relaxes. “That didn’t go as she hoped,” she deduces.  
“She can't escape the Queen without the money she's supposed to get for the ring,” Killian grins down at her. Maybe that optimism of hers wasn’t entirely unwarranted after all.  
Emma smiles back and then looks to their host. “Can you help us?” she asks him tentatively.  
The dark one laughed. “Help you? I can work on getting your portal to the future open again, but getting your parents together? You made that mess, dearie. Only you know what you did. Now go undo it.” And with that, the crocodile disappeared. Emma frowns as she thinks about a solution to their predicament.  
“If she's looking for passage out of town, I might know a ship's captain who can help us,” Killian offers. Emma looks up eagerly.  
“Who?”  
He chuckles, who indeed. “Me.”

* * *

[The bonds we choose](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/55677481)


	30. V Hustling a pirate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How does an eight-year-old Emma mix with a still villainous Captain Hook? How does it even come to the point where they meet? Well, let's just say that ideally, they wouldn't have.

**Princess Emma**

**V To when and back again**

**V Hustling a pirate**

The sun has barely set when they find Killian’s past self in a tavern.  
“You’re having a lot of fun,” Emma observes, trying to figure out why the women are almost sitting on his past selves' lap. Surely they can see the dice just fine from their seats.  
“Ah, yes.” Killian murmurs awkwardly as he pulls her away from the window they’d been looking through and into the nearest alleyway.  
“Listen, Luv, all you need to do is provide distraction should he try to return to the ship before I come to collect you. You can keep watch here. It’s an excellent vantage point and hidden enough to give you the advantage should you be approached,” he whispers as he pulls her hood securely over her head to hide her face.  
“A tavern is no place for a girl your age and if it wasn’t of great importance that he doesn’t interrupt my meeting with your mother, I wouldn’t ask you to be anywhere near him… Be careful lass,” he insists. He absolutely hates this plan, but it is the safest course of action. At least in terms of not upsetting the timeline. Emma can’t be seen anywhere near the Jolly until eight years from now when she’s following him there with Lilly after an unscheduled trip to the town near her castle. So long as she hides away here and he makes haste, she should be safe. He shows her the bracelet at the inside of his pocket, where the pellet still points him straight towards her. “I will come and find you when I’m done.” It’s a comfort for her, but also for himself. Even if she for some reason has to move, there’s nowhere in the realm she can go that he can’t follow.  
“Okay,” she nods. “But what about the timeline?” she asks a little nervous. “What if he sees my face and remembers it when we meet?” she wonders.  
Killian bites his lip and sighs reluctantly. “He won’t,” he assures her. “Given what he was drinking he’ll be unlikely to remember what his winnings were, much less if he spotted a girl in an alley for a moment.”  
Emma’s eyes widen in understanding and she nods with an amused smile.  
“Grumpy once got really drunk at a family party and the next day he couldn’t remember if he promised me to accompany me to see the fireflies the next night. Even though I’m always send to my room way before the grown up’s start to have fun,” she recalls with lights in her eyes.  
“Did he promise?” the pirate chuckles, already knowing the answer.  
“Well… Does it really matter if he liked going in the end?” she offers mischievously.  
“You are a terror…” Killian teases. Then he looks back to the tavern once more with dread in his eyes.  
“One more thing lass… That man… You don’t know him, so don’t trust him alright?”  
Emma frowns a little confused but nods slowly in response. “Don’t worry, I’ll be careful,” she promises. After searching her face for a moment Killian relaxes. He smiles at her encouragingly as he gives a playful tug at her hair. He gets up and walks towards the docks. If he wasn’t afraid of drawing attention to himself he’d be running the entire way. He doesn’t think he’ll survive one more thing going wrong today.

* * *

Standing watch is dreadfully boring, so pretty soon Emma finds herself whistling chanties and lullabies, listening carefully every time the tavern doors open.  
The people who walk out are usually accompanied by friends or women and too drunk and loud to notice the little girl humming to herself.  
As she waits she wonders what had Killian so tense about his past self. It’s true that he used to be a bad pirate before they met, but she didn’t think he looked like he was planning anything bad tonight. Just rolling some dice and entertaining the people at the bar, if the laughter drifting through the evening air is anything to go by.  
Maybe it’s a bit like how Regina doesn’t like her knowing too much about her days as a villain.  
Whenever she hears a new story and asks about it, her godmother looks so worried. No matter how often Emma reassures her that she doesn’t care, she still seems to wait for the story that’ll be too much.  
And now she’d seen the evil queen herself and she still wasn’t scared.  
With a bored sigh, she starts a lullaby she heard Killian sing under his breath on occasion when he showed her how to tie knots or the like. She hopes he doesn’t stay away too long. Not because she’s scared of Hook, but because she doesn’t really know how she’s supposed to distract him if he does come out. Maybe she should try to pick his pockets? That would get his attention. But would it be safe?

* * *

“Who’s there?”  
She freezes, the last note of the lullaby dies in the night. The shadows are hiding her for now, but he knows where she is. If he approaches, he’ll see her, if she runs he’ll give chase.  
What is she supposed to do?  
“Who dares ambush captain hook?” he growls as a sword is drawn.  
The words are slightly slurred, but that only makes the anger more frightening. So she runs. She hears the string of curses behind her as he sees the edge of her cloak briefly fly up behind her before she completely disappears in the alleyway. When she darts around a corner, out of his line of sight, she gives herself a bit more of an edge by teleporting a little bit farther ahead. The streets aren’t well lit and she can’t see much, but enough to keep her advantage.  
“Bloody hell! Stop you witch!” she hears him exclaim when she reappears halfway the next alley.  
Oh, no. She mistimed and he saw her use magic. Well, no use hiding it now then.  
She allows him to get closer before disappearing again. It gives him the illusion of a chance at catching her so he won’t give up, but he never gets close enough to really see her in the dark alleys. Even the light of the nearly full moon doesn’t venture in these parts of town it seems. He’s probably mostly chasing her by ear and the whirls of smoke.  
More than once she hears him crash into a wall as he skids around corners. The alcohol in his system isn’t doing him any favors. If his steps weren’t twice as large as hers she would’ve lost him long ago.  
Just when she thinks she can keep this up long enough to buy Killian he extra time he might need she poofs around a corner only to find that it’s a dead end. She appears almost nose to stone with the wall and turns around, looking for an escape. She finds none. Hook has caught up with her and she doesn’t have a clear view of the other end of the alley.  
“There you are you little imp,” he growls as he stalks over to her.

* * *

She has only one more card to play.  
She presses her back against the wall, holding up her arms as if to ward of an attack her face turned away and her eyes shut tight. “Please! I’m sorry I bothered you! Please don’t hurt me,” she pleads. Hook stops in his tracks at the sound of her voice and really takes in the figure before him. A hook tugs at her hood, she makes sure to shrink away at the action even adding a little whimper, and reveals her face.  
“You’re a child,” he realizes. “What the… What were you doing in that alley?”  
“I was lost. So I stayed put until someone found me,” she explains. It’s technically not a lie.  
“How did you… You were using magic,” he points out. She nods, looking as shy and scared as she can manage. Captain Hook might do many bad things, but hurting a scared little girl is definitely bad form. Silence hangs in the air for a little while.  
Then the captain kneels and offers her a charming smile. “Now tell me Luv, how do you know how to use light magic? Are you a little fairy?”  
She shakes her head but lets a small, shy smile tug at her lips since that’s clearly what he is going for here. The scent of the tavern clings to him and it makes it easier to remember that this man is not her friend.  
“I just can,” she tells him. If this keeps his attention then she has to milk it for every second she can.  
“That’s a very rare and magnificent talent you have then Luv. What’s your name?” he asks.  
“Alexandra,” she tells him.  
“Such a pretty name,” he complements warmly, though his words still come out thicker than they should due to the rum. “Well, lady Alexandra, ever seen a pirate ship up close?” he offers, eyes twinkling with the promise of adventure. This doesn’t feel like when he asked her when they met. Every instinct she has tells her to stay away from him.  
“I… I can’t. I’m not supposed to stay out this late,” she mutters reluctantly.  
Something softens in his eyes. “Your parents will be worried I suppose,” he realizes.

* * *

Emma nods before letting out a yawn. She’s too tired for all of this. It had been late when they left home and early when they arrived here. It’s been much too long since she woke up.  
And since then she’d seen her father die, been kidnapped, seen Regina get a hand through her chest, struggled and failed to protect her mother and brother, battled Zelena, met Zelena’s father, overheard her own father voice all of her worst fears and insecurities, ran away and fell through a portal to the past where saw the dark one try to kill Killian, met her grandmother and she saw the darker sides of two of her favorite people. It’s been a lot.  
She’s pretty sure Killian will have to carry her back to the dark castle at this rate. That or she has to use a stamina spell to keep her going for a few more hours later, which probably isn’t the best idea. Regina warned her against using this spell too often, but she might not have any other choice.  
“You are dead on your feet Luv,” Hook mutters, the worry in his voice sincere. Emma nods as she rubs at her eyes.  
“How about I carry you back to where I found you earlier? Then you can rest for a bit and wait for your parents when we get there, alright?”  
Emma hesitates, she knows he’s lying to her, but she still nods. Killian will find her wherever they end up really going. And she kind of hopes that he’ll change his mind. She lets him pick her up bridal style and the moment she is off her feet, the sound of his steadying heartbeat is lulling her to sleep. The fact that he’s humming Killian’s lullaby doesn’t help.  
“That magic of yours…” he starts after a while when she’s nearly gone.  
“It’s rare and powerful. If I can find a way to explain it to you… Maybe you can help me make things right.” What is he talking about?  
“I’ve come too far to give up now.” It’s odd. Like he’s having a conversation with her, trying to convince her of something. But she’s pretty sure he thinks she’s asleep. “When you’re older, you’ll understand that sometimes you have to make hard choices.” She stirs, something is definitely wrong.  
“Hush Luv,” he whispers gently, sounding almost like himself, but his voice is laced with guilt. It makes her tense even more and nearly wakes her. But then he’s singing.  
“My young love said to me: My mother won't mind. And my father won't slight you for your lack of kind.” She relaxes again in his arms.  
“That’s it darling, sleep. The Jolly eagerly awaits your arrival,” he whispers. In her half-conscious state of mind, she doesn’t realize that that is the last place she needs to be right now. So she just smiles and listens as his voice carries her off to sleep. “Then she stepped away from me. And this she did say: It will not be long, love, till our wedding day."

* * *

Hook looks down at Alexandra as her breathing evens again. Her face is peaceful, content even. She settles closer into his hold and her lips part slightly as she drops off into sleep.  
He wishes he hadn’t had so much to drink. Now he’ll have to stay up until the buzz is gone if he wants to remember why there’s a child aboard his ship in the morning. And he’d really prefer to sleep now to forget about exactly that for a few hours.  
Abducting a child. He really is going to do this. He tries to tell himself that it won’t be long. Alexandra will be back home within a few days, perhaps even before the sun sets again. Just as soon as he’s assured himself of her alliance with him. She might not be ready to perform the spells required to steal the dagger or banish the dark one now. But one day she will be, and he can’t afford to lose sight of her before he has convinced her to help him. To get her to believe in him. Once she hears stories about him, it’ll destroy whatever it was that had her put her trust in him.  
Her trust... Guilt surges through his body, making his voice skip over a few notes. Right, lest he forget he’s corrupting his mother’s lullaby to lure a young girl into a false sense of security. Is there really no end to the awful things he’ll do?  
No… Not until the dark one is slain.  
And it’s not like he intends to do anything to hurt the girl. Just a few careful manipulations to win her over to his cause once he’s sober enough to actually think. Damn that rum, he wouldn’t need to buy so much time if he had a clear mind right now. Or if he’d had one when he first noticed her for that matter.  
The look in her eyes when he pulled off her hood flashes before him. He hadn’t made the best first impression, but that can be mended. She had let him carry her and surrendered to sleep after all. It was odd how tonight had turned out. One moment he thinks someone is mocking him with his mother’s lullaby and then he finds he’s been chasing a child with the magic to destroy the darkness.  
He always thought only the gods have true light magic. But here he has a perfectly mortal girl overflowing with it. He can almost feel it pulsating through her veins in the same way he can feel the vile aura of darkness in other villains.  
As he arrives to the spot where he said he’d put her down he halts. A part of him wants to make good on his promise. To, for once, do the right thing for no other reason than that it is the right thing to do. He stops, the last note of the song dying out on his tongue. He’s at the turning point. He has to make the choice now.  
Alexandra stirs in his arms and he lets out a pained sigh as he continues on the course he’s set out lifetimes ago.

* * *

She dreams she is on the Jolly, looking out over the sea. The waves are gently rocking her back and forth. It’s night and the stars are out. She can hear Killian singing somewhere in the distance, but she doesn’t turn around. She’s much too comfortable where she is. Suddenly the ship rocks and throws her off balance. Killian has stopped singing. Everything stills and she notices the sun is about to rise. Then the ship goes back to its gentle rhythm and Killian’s voice hums on.  
But the sun is getting too bright, something is wrong.  
She slowly blinks against the light of the lanterns. She can hear the harbor, louder and louder as Hook carries her. Suddenly she recalls what’s going on and that they can’t go to the harbor.  
She throws herself out of his hold to the ground. “Lass!” Hook exclaims astonished, she can feel him grabbing for her, but she rolls out of the way and scrambles to her feet. Then she runs back into town. Curses follow her once more as she dives into the first alley she sees.  
She can’t risk drawing the attention of anyone who might ask Hook tomorrow why he was chasing a little girl, so she once more keeps to deserted and badly lit streets for her escape.  
“Alexandra!” he calls after her, “Alexandra, stop!” His voice is pleading, regretful. She almost gives into it, but she can’t. Not until she is certain Killian is near or at least until the docks are far enough.  
She feels disoriented, scared and hurt. She knows that this man isn’t really Killian, not the one she knows, but it still feels like a betrayal. Her heart is in such turmoil that she can’t get off a single spell no matter how hard she tries and soon, as before, she finds herself looking at a solid wall with Hook coming up behind her.  
“Luv, please let me explain,” he pleads.  
“You lied to me!” she says accusatory as she turns around. She hates that it has to come to this.  
The shame on his face is genuine as he turns it away to avoid looking at her, his arms are raised in an effort to show that he’s not going to attack her.  
“Yes, I did,” he admits, his voice breaking over a distant memory she isn’t privy to.  
“Why?” she asks, desperate for a good reason.  
“Because you wouldn’t come with me if I’d told you the truth.”  
She crosses her arms at that explanation. That wasn’t good enough. “Well, I’m definitely not coming with you if you don’t tell me the truth now,” she points out.  
Hook nods and takes a deep breath to gather his thoughts. “Luv,” he says gently. “I need you to help me with something. It’s very important… I didn’t go about it the right way, I know… but the entire realm will be better off if…”

* * *

“No!” she snaps.  
“You haven’t heard what I was going to ask Luv. I’m speaking the truth, I swear,” he pleads.  
“I don’t care! You’re just trying to use me! And I won’t be your puppet in whatever plan you have! If it really was something good, you wouldn’t have lied in the first place. I trusted you, I trusted you’d let me go and you betrayed me!” Emma notices that her words hit him harder than she expected them to. His arms dropping to his sides and his shoulders slumping under the weight her words put on them. She gets the feeling there is something going on here she doesn’t understand yet. She hopes Killian will tell her when she asks and that it isn’t one of those things where she needs to be ‘a little older’ to understand.  
For now, she tries to calm herself. To sound a little less angry. “Give me one reason to believe you now? How do I know that what you ask isn’t going to hurt people? How do _you_ know no innocents will get hurt in the aftermath?” She knows what it is he’s after. And she knows how he thinks he’ll get it. But it’ll only bring more misery, to him and to everyone in the realm.  
“I…” he is at a loss for words. Seconds pass by and Emma can still hear her heart racing in her ears, her feelings still all over the place, stuck between wanting to be mad at Hook and wanting to help him even though she shouldn’t. For both their sakes she can’t change the course of his life.  
“I almost didn’t,” it’s not an argument, it’s a confession, a plea. For what, she doesn’t know.  
“I got to the alley and I nearly stopped and put you down as I promised.”  
“Then why didn’t you?” she demands.  
“I’m not a good man Alexandra,” he sighs defeated as he lets his arms drop to his sides. She waits for more, but nothing comes.  
“Then be better,” she pleads. “You can control your own fate. Be better. I can see you want to,” she insists.  
He shakes his head. “it’s too late for me, I’ve done too many dark deeds…”  
“It’s never too late,” she argues. “I’ve seen proof of that. You’ve felt it when you hesitated. You can be so much more than this. Please,” she begs. Wanting her friend to stop looking so tortured.  
“It is…” His voice grows stronger and darker with this denial his hand balling into a fist. He raises his hook to eye level, staring at the appendage darkly. “I’ve sacrificed too much to give up now…” he lets out a regretful sigh as he drops his left arm again. “I’m sorry Alexandra,” he swears as he finally really looks at her. Determined, but also sorrowful. “I’ll explain once we’ve set sail…”  
She backs into the wall as he approaches her. She tries to look around him and find a way to escape to no avail. She desperately attempts to vanish, but she can’t get any farther than a slight glow of her hands that flickers out almost immediately.

* * *

Then the captain halts at a tap on his shoulder.  
“What in the…” Hook huffs impatiently as he turns around, only to fall over instantly. Behind him stands Killian, his fist raised, ready to strike. His eyes are wide as he looks at his hand, or more specifically his new ring.  
“Well, would you look at that? The poppy hasn’t lost its punch,” he mutters, pleasantly surprised.  
“Killian!” Emma exclaims relieved as she rushes over to him and gives him a hug.  
“Hey there Luv. He didn’t hurt you did he?” he asks as he holds her at arm’s length and looks her over.  
“No… He wanted me to help him kill Rumpelstiltskin. I’m sorry I didn’t mean for him to see that I had magic…” she hurries  
“That’s alright,” he assures her as he takes in the way she stands slightly off balance and notices how struggles to keep her eyes open.  
“You’re dead on your feet Luv,” Emma’s smile becomes painfully bright as she hears him echo his past self's words, but this time, they sound right. “I never should have left you there. I could’ve paid someone to keep him in the town, or found some other way. Sorry to have put you through that.” How could he have been so careless? He had a few gold coins from the giant’s treasure tucked away in his coat from the start of their adventure... but he knows why he hadn’t done that. There were too many variables involved in trusting someone other than Emma to ensure Hook’s distance. He just hoped Emma’s opinion on him hadn’t been irreparably damaged.  
“It’s alright,” Emma yawns. She waves her hand over both of them, replenishing their energy. It won’t last much more than an hour, but she hopes that that’s all they’ll need. Kilian can probably power through more as he’s an adult and she saw him napping before dinner on one of the couches in the library. Many years at sea had led to him developing the habit of getting extra sleep whenever possible.  
Once they are back in their own time she is taking the longest nap in history. She’s going to be asleep so long everyone will think she’s under the sleeping curse.

* * *

“But will he be okay?” she verifies as she follows Killian out of the alley, glancing back at the unconscious captain.  
“Aye,” Killian confirms as he leads them through alleys and into a forest.  
“I’m a bit ashamed to admit it, but it won’t be the first, nor the last time he wakes up in an alley with no clue how he got there.” She can tell it’s not a pleasant subject for him to talk about, so she drops it.  
“Lass… I hope my less charming self didn’t…” he starts, but she interrupts him by shaking her head firmly. “I know you’ve changed since these days. And I know that he wants to change too. He just doesn’t believe he can yet… What made you believe?”  
Killian chuckles at the memory. “Well, a combination of things I suppose. The fact that you and Lilly had won my respect by fighting off that miscreant helped a lot. And then… You were the first to be kind to me, truly kind, since… since I left the Navy I suppose. Even Milah was a bit apprehensive at first… I guess I never realized it was something I’d missed until I had it again. And once I was aware of what I was missing, I couldn’t give it up again.”  
Emma nods. She hadn’t treated Hook with the same kindness she had shown Killian that first day.  
Maybe that is why he could bring himself to betray her trust. The first step towards redemption was the hardest after all. Regina had needed her enemy to give her her full trust and support. Killian had needed Emma to do the same.  
Hook hadn’t met a potential friend, he met a girl who assumed he’d hurt her, like everyone else he met. And despite her pleas to change, he believed that her first estimate of him was all he could ever be. She eases her guilt over failing him this time by reminding herself that she will one day bring him the chance to be different.  
“Did mom take the job?” she asks to change the subject.  
“Aye she should be on her way now,” Killian nods.  
Emma lets out a sigh of relief. “So… What now? We go back to the dark castle and pray everything goes as it should? I don’t really like leaving things to chance.”

* * *

Suddenly they get swept up in dark smoke and find themselves on a hillside overlooking the golden castle.  
“Couldn’t agree more dearie!” Rumpelstiltskin giggles. “Et Voilà” he announces with a dramatic gesture as he produces a piece of parchment.  
“Is that…?” Emma wonders. “An invitation to the ball,” the crocodile confirms.  
“But you said only I can fix my mess?” she recalls.  
“Well of course,” smoke once again appears around them and Emma finds herself in a light blue gown with silver details, while Killian is dressed in a costume befitting a prince.  
She feels at her hair and finds that while it’s mostly down a few locks are woven into a crown on top of her head. She can feel crystal beads woven through the braid.  
“I thought we weren’t supposed to draw any more attention,” she whispers breathlessly.  
“Ah!” The dark one produced a mirror. “A glamor spell,” he explains as Emma looks at the girl and man in the mirror who’s features no longer resembled her and Killian.  
“Now I have to get back to work on your portal home, you go make sure you’re around to take it.”  
With a puff of smoke, the dark one vanishes, leaving the two disguised travelers on the hillside.  
“Well, ready to crash a party?” Emma offers nervously.  
“With a lovely companion such as yourself? I can’t wait,” Killian teases gently.  
She smiles up at him and takes his hand. “Here we go,” she mutters as they, too, disappear in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

[Musings of the future](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/56014360)


	31. VI The ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, finally, there is a moment of levity. A dance. Emma's first. A moment she's been looking forward to for years. Sadly, this is an adventure and during an adventure, you don't just get nice things. There's always a catch.

**Princess Emma**

**V To when and back again**

**VI The ball**

“The security is laughable. I mean it’s good news for mom, but all it takes is a dress and a piece of paper?” Emma whispers disapprovingly. Killian chuckles, he knows how hard it is nowadays to enter a palace uninvited, especially when a party is afoot. He’s tried a few times in the years between Emma’s birth and their first meeting.  
“Aye, it were simpler times,” he agrees.  
“Good evening!” a warm voice greets, making them turn to the host.  
“I am King Midas,” the man introduces himself, mainly addressing Killian.  
“Father of the bride. Who do I have the honor of welcoming to my palace?”  
Emma can feel Killian hesitate beside her. It’s very unlike him not to be on top of every situation. Improvising is usually his strong suit. Maybe he’s having trouble recalling the fake name she gave him? Or maybe he too thinks that the king’s attire is a little bit too gold. In any regard, they can’t afford to be flustered, so she takes over with a giggle to draw attention and an elegant bow to hold the king’s interest.  
“Princess Alexandra, such a pleasure to meet you, your highness. This is sir Neal, he’s accompanying me tonight on behalf of my parents. Thank you so much for honoring us with your invitation.”  
King Midas smiles warmly at the young princess and bows his head. “It is my pleasure to have such charming company.” He then turns to the herald and instructs him to announce their arrival.  
They bow together to greet the other guests at their announcement and venture into the crowd.  
“We really shouldn’t be getting away with this,” she mutters nervously.  
“There are small island kingdoms littered all over the ocean. Then there are quite a few independent lordships that’ll be absorbed by their kingdoms in days to come and many noble families who hold little land, but maintain their rank. And that is not even mentioning the fact that having a multitude of children to ensure an heir wasn’t uncommon in these times. Your parents’ generation seems to be content with just one or two children. Your grandfather Henry, however, was the 5th in line of his kingdom’s throne. After him, there were 3 more sons and none of that is counting the 4 daughters as his kingdom prioritized male succession. There is an abundance of princes and princesses, dukes and duchesses and so forth and one can’t be expected to know them all by face and name. If you have an invitation, then he has no reason to think you are lying about who you are,” Killian explains. “It would take a bold person to pretend to be of noble lineage when they’re not.”  
“How do you know all this? Have you snuck into many events like this?” she wonders.  
“Never disguised as a knight or any sort of nobility Luv. No. My mentor at the academy liked to show off his best students to his rich friends. And considering I was a ‘charming young man with great promise’, according to him, he took me along a few times. I asked similar questions and got a similar answer. Though I hope you like me a lot more than I liked my mentor. It always felt like he only liked me because I made him look good,” he admits.  
Emma smiles up at him. “Well, you make me look good too… in comparison,” she teases.  
“Pardon?” he gasps scandalized. “I think I can still carry myself well enough to look like I belong.”  
“Sure,” she giggles before looking around. She’s snuck into ballrooms before, but she was always in and out before she really could take in the scenery. Now she is a little overwhelmed with all the gold and the dresses and the chatter and the music.

* * *

“So what now?” she asks as she lets him guide her through the crowd.  
“We blend in and keep an eye out for your father and make sure he catches your mother in the act.” As the crowd gives way to the dancefloor, his eyes spot Emma’s longing gaze.  
“Fancy a practice round for your official introductory ball, your majesty?” he offers. This whole adventure took place during what should’ve been her big entrance after all. Sure the introductory ball with all the kingdoms present, like this one, was planned later in the year to include the introductions of Alexandra and Melody. But her parents had planned on organizing a smaller gathering of the more local nobility and their close friends and allies.  
“Daddy is going to be so mad with you once he finds out you took my first dance,” she warns with a grateful smile.  
Then she giggles loudly as Killian picks her up and puts her on his feet to carry her through the steps.  
“Well I’ll just have to deal with that then,” he smirks as they glide to the movements.  
“I think I got it,” Emma grins a few minutes later as she steps off his feet and follows through the next round effortlessly on her own.  
“Of course, there is only one rule to the waltz after all,” Killian offers amused as they make a bow at one another before going back into another round.  
“What’s that?” Emma wonders.  
“Pick a partner who knows what they’re doing.” He grins down at her as he spins her around a few times. “But I must say luv. You appear to be a natural,” he compliments her much to her delight.  
They aren’t quite following along with the other dancers, but no one would care about that as this pairing contained one very young princess. They are allowed to go a little off-script every once in a while.

* * *

Emma, however, finds herself spinning out of Killian’s hold and bumping straight into the guest of honor, prince James. Neither she nor Killian had noticed they’d approached his side of the dancefloor. She glances back and finds Killian’s eyes, he’s trying to sidestep the whirling crowd that has already swallowed him in the few seconds they’ve been separated, but walking across a full dancefloor is a lot harder than spinning through it, it seems.  
She looks back at the man who will one day be her father.  
“Oh, pardon me, milord,” she bows with a blush. So much for being a natural. This is not something that can be allowed to happen when she is really representing the kingdom. Bumping into the wrong dignitary could have severe consequences. Luckily, in this case, she knows that her father isn’t the type to take offence. “I seem to have lost my step there,” she smiles up at him. Prince James looks down at the young girl with a charmed smile.  
“That’s alright,” he assures her.  
“Could you waltz me back to my guardian? If that’s alright with her highness of course?” Emma ads the last part with a bow to her aunt Abigail, who looks very disinterested in the whole happening.  
“Of course not. Please take him away,” she sighs dramatically. Emma keeps her face pleasant, though she can’t help but wonder how much pain one must be in to resign themselves to a life that holds nothing. James looks at his bride-not-to-be with a frown before schooling his face into a pleasant smile and taking Emma’s hands, guiding her over the dance floor towards Killian.  
“I don’t think anyone is enjoying this party as much as you and your friend,” he informs her.  
She just smiles up at him, not showing that she realizes how troubling such a statement was for a man who’s supposed to be celebrating his engagement, as he spins her around and hands her over to Killian, who bows and leads Emma away.  
“That was reckless Swan,” he whispers sternly.  
“I’m disguised remember? And I couldn’t have my first dance at my first royal ball and not have daddy at least get a turn in. Besides, waltzing towards you was far easier than trying to walk over. As you probably noticed,” she argues. Killian sighs. He understands that this is important to her, and in the grand scheme of things, it won’t mess things up more than they already are he supposes. Still he hopes that everything will be back on track after tonight. He swears he’s getting grey hair from this adventure.  
Then, suddenly, the doors open and Regina walks in. Causing a wave of shocked silence to roll over the gathered crowd. Everyone turns to stare in terror at the evil queen. Killian can feel Emma tense as well.  
“She’s a guest darling,” he assures her. “If the king hadn’t invited her, his golden touch would be the least of his worries.”  
Emma relaxes, but then jumps back as the dark knights enter the room and spread throughout the castle.  
“That’s not good for your mother Swan,” Killian mutters as he reaches to lay a hand on his princess’ shoulder, only to find himself grabbing for air. Killian looks down and curses.  
He scans the room to see a small figure dressed in blue slip through a backdoor, he also sees princess Abigail talk to one of the attending princesses, sorely lacking a fiancé at her side.  
Emma must’ve spotted her father leaving and is now following him to make sure he doesn’t actually stop Snow White from stealing the ring. Worried for the trouble she might get into on her own in this particular scenario he heads to the exit to follow her only to have his path blocked by…

* * *

“Your majesty! Pardon me, I didn’t mean to run you over like that,” he rushes with a formal bow. That’s all they need, for Regina to burn him to a crisp for being in her general vicinity.  
“You don’t belong here do you?” Regina muses as she looks him up and down, circling around him, looking intrigued. It makes him uncomfortable.  
“I… I’m not sure I understand what you mean your highness,” he laughs awkwardly.  
Does she somehow sense he’s from another time? Or that he has a glamour put on him?  
“There is darkness in you, I can almost smell it,” she purrs, trailing her fingers over his shoulders as she comes back around.  
Killian struggles to keep his composure. It’s not like this is the first time a woman of darkness has flirted with him. Cruella tried to all but drag him to her chambers every second of their business dealings, an offer he just had to refuse. And this one isn’t any more appealing.  
As far as he is concerned, this particular woman has a true love out there. Not to mention the fact that she is not his type at all. And the time that he would have indulged her ego a bit to further his own goals is also long past.  
“I haven’t had a traditional road to knighthood, but I’ve earned my princess’s trust and she has my loyalty,” he assures the queen.  
“Does she now?” Regina purrs into his ear. He remains professional.  
“Indeed. She is a dear friend of mine. Though, I sense you seem to be implying romantic intentions on my part. I assure you, there are none.” No, even if Emma wasn’t an eight-year-old girl, romance is no longer in the cards for him. He’s had his chance and he blew it by making all the wrong decisions.  
“Good,” Regina purrs grabbing onto the lapels of his jacket. “Then you won’t have qualms against a proposition…”  
He raises his hands and steps away from the queen, she lets him go with a quirk of her brow.  
“Honestly your majesty, I am beyond flattered. But if you truly knew me, you’d consider me far beneath you. You can do better,” he assures her. He may not understand how a man of honor like Robin of Locksley, who he’d silently admired for his whole career as an outlaw, ends up with this woman of all people. Their feelings for one another are clear and true without a doubt though.  
The queen blinks a few times in surprise, there is a brief second where Killian can see the young kind woman she once was before her expression closes off again and she huffs. “If you ever want to play around in the darkness again…” she offers dryly.  
“I’ll be sure to remember that,” he lies as he watches her continue to circle the ballroom. He is most certainly going to do his damnest to forget this conversation ever took place. But he needs her to leave so he can look for Emma…

* * *

Sadly, Emma finds him first. That is to say, before he can even leave the room she is dragged in by dark knights.  
“Your majesty! We had the bandit in our sights but this girl helped her escape.”  
“You were going to shoot that girl! You can’t just kill people like that!” she insists, feigning innocent cluelessness.  
“Quiet you brat! And bow to the evil queen!” the knight orders, trying to force her to her knees. Emma effortlessly slips out of his grip. “Not a chance!” she announces to the knight as she straightens herself. Standing taller and stronger than any other princess attending the ball.  
Killian glances around and sees the surprised and impressed faces of the gathered nobility. Damn this whole adventure. It’s shaving off a considerable amount of years off his life expectancy.  
“True royalty never bows down to evil!” she states before she turns back to the Evil Queen who looks livid.  
Killian wants nothing more than to rush over and help Emma escape. But that would be foolish. He can’t fight them out of this… Then he sees how Emma flashes him something shiny behind her back before bringing her hands back out in front of her as she addresses Regina.  
She has the ring… Bloody hell.  
“That being said, it is a pleasure to meet you, queen Regina. I have heard stories of your reign,” she tells the queen politely. The queen looks the princess up and down with interest. Then her head snaps up and she addresses her guards.  
“We’re leaving! Take her along. Whomever wishes to claim this girl, better bring me Snow White in exchange,” she warns coldly. And with a dramatic spin around her axis, the evil queen leads her guards out of the palace.  
Just when he’s about to despair, he sees a frustrated looking prince James coming down from his chambers. He’ll be looking for his ring, and Killian knows where the prince will look first.  
A plan forms in his head. This might just end up playing out in their favor after all.

* * *

[Not a word](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/56304301)


	32. VII A daring rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can Killian save Emma and ensure that her parents fall in love? Can Emma stay out of trouble long enough for him to do so?  
Can Snow resist the temptation to face her stepmother? Can prince James believe in true love once more?

**Princess Emma**

**V To when and back again**

**VII A daring rescue**

It is quite interesting to watch Emma’s parents meet for the first time.  
To witness them not be in love… yet at least. ‘Thieving scum’ isn’t exactly the nicest thing to say to your love. And Emma never told him that ‘Charming’ had started as a sarcastic insult.  
And that family moto started as a threat? He’s learning lots of interesting things this morning. Once they are back where and when they belong he can take some time to truly appreciate this. But for now he is mainly worried about Emma. He knows that the evil queen never executed children, but she wasn’t above banishing them to the infinite forest if they insulted her. Not that he thinks Emma will aggravate her future godmother even more on purpose. But the queen has a temper and Emma isn’t exactly the wait patiently for rescue type…  
“I don’t have your ring!” Snow White annunciates slowly.  
“And why don’t I believe you?” Prince James asks. Now, this was a good opportunity to make his entrance.  
“You should,” he announces as he steps from behind the tree he’d been using as cover while listening in on the conversation.  
“She’s telling the truth mate,” he tells the prince who’s sufficiently startled by his appearance, ready to draw his sword at the first sign of trouble. Killian glances up and sees Snow White looking at him from her cage with wide, scared eyes. Understandable, he has yet to give his word that he won’t turn her in.  
He looks back to the prince, who meets his eyes with suspicion. Now there’s a familiar sight.  
“Sir Neil,” he introduces himself with a rushed bow and a flourish of his hands.  
“We met very briefly at the ball yesterday. Lovely, party, honestly,” he assures him. The two true lovers look at each other in confusion. Killian points to the entrapped princess. “Snow White doesn’t have your ring,” he tells the shepherd in disguise. “But I can tell you who does. My princess,” at that revelation the prince sheets his sword.  
“Sadly we got separated and I’ll need some help to get her back.”  
Prince James sighs. “She has my ring?” he verifies. Killian nods.  
“I can’t catch a break,” Charming mutters exasperatedly. “Where is she?” he asks.  
“Well, therein lies the problem I’m afraid… She kind of gave the evil queen’s guards lip for trying to kill her,” he says pointing to the captured princess. “So they took her to the evil queen’s castle.”  
“Actually, therein lies no problem at all,” Snow buts in. The two men look up at her expectantly.  
“I know it well, it used to be mine. I can help us get in there, but not from up here. So…”  
Killian suppresses a chuckle at her tone. He quite likes bandit Snow White.  
“You let me down. Then you get your princess,” she states looking to Killian before turning to Charming. “You get your ring. And I, never have to see your charming face again.”  
Once again Killian bites away his amusement. She has no idea how wrong she is. He looks over at the prince, hoping he’ll take her bargain. To his surprise there was a bit of sadistic pleasure on the prince’s face as he drew his sword and cut the cord, making the princess hit the ground hard.  
This… This was definitely an unexpected side of the two regents. And one he found himself enjoying to discover. They became less paragons of virtue he’d never measure up to and thus never could get approval off. Now they were just two human beings who were trying their best to play the hand they’d been dealt.  
They procure a wagon to journey to the castle. Killian lets the two banter behind him and pretends not to listen to their conversation, but he does.  
He’s relieved when he notices that Charming seems to slowly feel for the princess’s plight and that Snow White is slowly opening up to him. That’s one thing less to worry about. It’s somewhere in the late afternoon when they arrive at the castle.

* * *

“We’re here!” he announces and the two royals come up behind him to look up. He points to a window where he sees a faint light flicker.  
“That’s Alexandra sending me her signal. Clever lass.” He states proudly.  
“That’s my old room,” Snow mutters a little confused and angry.  
“Then you’ll know how to get to her unnoticed,” Killian concludes as he studies the flickers.  
“Two guards at all times,” he mutters.  
“How can you tell?” James wonders.  
“The lass and I like to pass the time with devising escape plans for several worst-case scenarios, or ‘adventures’ as she’d call it. For such occasions, we’ve agreed on several signals and codes to communicate with each other even if we’re far apart. While I hoped we’d never actually need it, I prefer to be prepared.” He takes out a little mirror from his pocket and walks up the path to catch some of the sunlight on the surface, just enough for her to see something glimmer in the woods and know that he saw her message.  
“Good thing you did,” James praises. Killian wonders if King David would approve of this the way the prince does.  
“We’re going to need help getting past her guards,” Snow mutters as she gets up from her hiding spot. “Wait here, we go at night. You might want to tell her to sit tight until then! I’ll be back with help!” she instructs as she disappears into the woods.  
Killian does as suggested, once he gets Emma’s confirmation he puts away the mirror and helps the prince set up camp.  
At least both he and Emma will be able to get some rest now before going back.  
“I’m sure even the evil queen wouldn’t harm a child. We’ll save her,” the prince offers comfortingly as they start building a fire. Killian has been glancing at the castle every five minutes and it mustn’t have been as discreet as he thought.  
“Oh, I’m sure the princess has the situation handled. She’s a tough lass. It takes more than this to scare her, but it’s been a hard few months for her… Her mother just gave birth and it’s been a stressful pregnancy. The ball was supposed to be a fun night away from all of that,” he sighs. He had truly hoped that the ball would end up going smoothly and be just a fun side adventure before going home. She deserved a little break. They both did.  
“Well, at least she knows you are on your way to save her,” James offers.  
Killian chuckles. “Swan waiting for me to save her… That’ll be the day. I’d be surprised if she’ll stay put long enough for us to get inside in the first place,” he informs the man who’ll raise the spitfire they’re rescuing.  
“You worry she’ll anger the queen by trying to escape?” The prince is clearly trying hard to figure out how to reassure him, something Killian appreciates. He’s a good man.  
Killian shakes his head. “I worry she’ll end up having to rescue us,” he jokes good-naturedly. Then he allows the bravado to drop for a moment and looks at the prince sincerely. Allowing him to see the true feelings that plague him. “I feel terrible that I lost sight of her in the first place. I was distracted for but a moment and then all of this happened. She’ll be fine, this I know, but this is an adventure she shouldn’t have to endure. I should have been by her side and I wasn’t,” he explains as he lights the fire. The prince doesn’t reply to that.

* * *

After a little while, the sun has fully set and he and the future king have settled down. Killian notices his travel companion has been quiet and contemplative for a while. Growing tired of the silence he decides to test the waters to see how the man feels about his current situation.  
“So, you excited for your nuptials?” he asks casually as he pokes the fire.  
“I’m marrying king Midas’s daughter, what’s not to be excited about?” The utter lack of enthusiasm in the prince’s voice would be apparent even to his newborn son. Which is good, Killian supposed. It wouldn’t take much to plant a seed of rebellion in his mind.  
“I don’t mean to pry, mate, but you don’t exactly look like a man who’s doing this by choice,” he points out.  
The prince sighs and nods. “I always thought I’d marry for love,” he confesses.  
“And here I am, about to enter into, what amounts to, a business agreement.” The disdain in his voice is clear. “A merger between two kingdoms.” He shakes his head and whatever light had been in his eyes seems to dim to near extinction as he resigns himself to his fate.  
“I don’t know.” He leans back and crosses his arms as he casts his eyes to the heavens.  
“This whole ordeal makes me wonder if there’s even such a thing as true love.” Killian watches the prince’s face as he throws some kindling on the fire. It’s… Nice to have him talk to him like a normal person. It makes him believe that under different circumstances, he and the king would be able to be friends. Right now though. He has to do what seems to be Emma’s area of expertise. Inspire someone.  
“Been there,” he confesses. “Growing up, there was only one man who believed in me. My older brother. He was… Well, he was a good man, always did everything right. And somehow he thought I could be better than him. And he almost had me believe it too… But then he died. He was good, and he died anyway. So I gave up on trying, focused on doing what it took to survive and nothing much else. Then I met a woman, fell in love and almost believed that my life could change again… but she died too. That’s when I gave up on myself… True love, happy endings…” he makes a dismissive gesture. “Clearly they weren’t meant for people like me.”  
He can’t believe he’s opening up like this, but if he wants Emma to live, he has to.  
“What changed?” the prince asks curiously.  
“Well, that’s rather obvious isn’t it,” Killian smiles. “My princess. Her parents are true love.   
Unlikely to meet, hopelessly devoted… the whole shebang. It’s impossible not to catch some of that warm glow when you see them together. And she carries that glow with her wherever she goes.  
And one day, where she goes happened to be me. I was in a bad place at the time, but she reminded me that I can be better. And now I am.  
She has such unwavering faith in me and my ability to be a hero and get a happy ending… I have to believe it’s true. That it might be worth the effort after all,” his voice trails off as he recalls how complicated their friendship truly is.  
“But…” James presses carefully, sensing the turn his thoughts had taken.  
“But… not everyone is as ready to see past my darker times and see the man I used to be before, who I’m trying to be today…”  
“Family?” James guesses as he leans back. “My father is making things quite difficult for me.”  
“Aye. I don’t think they like me being around her. No matter what I do.”  
The future king of the enchanted forest frowns at that. “Seeing how much you care about her and how you’re willing to risk your life to save her. They’d be crazy not to. No matter what lies in the past.”  
Killian chuckles and mumbles, “I hope you’ll remember that.”  
In truth Emma’s story about her father’s disapproval of him as her friend had him worried he’d truly never see her again after this adventure. And he meant what he told Emma after they left the harbor town. He doesn’t want to lose her. He isn’t sure if he’d survive the heartbreak this time.  
Then he shoots up as he sees a figure in the woods. “What the hell was that?” he asks tensely.  
“I think we’re about to find out,” James replies as they both ready their swords.   
Killian resists the impulse to relax his stance once he recognizes Red.  
When she hands him her cloak he tries to act surprised when he sees her transform. He doesn’t have to fake the nervousness he feels at the vicious growling wolf though. The one time he’d seen the woman change it’d been at a distance and she wasn’t as feral then.  
“Lead the way,” he urges her as he lays the cloak over his arm.

* * *

Emma can’t say she doesn’t appreciate the chance to nap on the way here. Even if she was locked in the prisoners' carriage. When they finally arrived and she was ushered, not to the dungeons, but her mother’s old room and Roland’s future room, she is pleasantly surprised.  
She’d been almost certain that she was in trouble after running her mouth at the ball last night.  
She overheard Regina order her knights to have two guards posted at her room at all times. Which’ll make sneaking out without help a lot harder. A guard brings her some bread and fruit for lunch and other than that she spends most of her time either looking out the window to catch sight of anything that might indicate Killian is here or looking around to see if she can find a hidden passage. Royal bedchambers almost always have one in case of a siege.  
It’s nearing dinnertime when her signal gets answered. And right when she lets Killian know she knows they’ll be coming for her after sunset she hears the doors behind her open.  
She masks her magic and turns around with wide eyes.  
It’s Regina. With food.  
“I thought you might be hungry,” she says almost in a pleasant way.  
Emma curtsies and watches as Regina sits on the bed and pats the spot next to her.  
Emma joins her warily. Then a small table appears in front of them and Regina puts down the food.  
“Here you go,” she says.  
“Thank you for your hospitality,” she says politely. She almost starts eating, but then hesitates. Killian’s stories have taught her many things. By example, don’t blindly trust anything given to you by your captor. Especially when they are acting nice. She looks back at Regina and takes in her appearance. The uncomfortable corset, the dark tones, the sharp edges…  
Her Godmother varies more in her color scheme even if she still has her own, unique style of dress. “Something wrong?” the queen asks just a little too sweetly. Because she isn’t used to being kind? Or because she’s hiding something?  
“There’s no poison or potion in this food right?” she asks nervously.  
Regina’s eyes widen. “Of course not,” she assures her. After a long moment of searching her face for a lie, Emma decides that this really is a peace offering and starts eating.  
“See? I’m not that bad,” Regina offers in a sugary voice.  
Emma has about six replies to that, but she chooses to keep silent. She doesn’t need to make Killian’s night harder than it already is.  
“Why did you help that woman escape? Is she your friend?” the queen inquires. Her voice warm and gentle on the surface, but there is a sharp edge hidden underneath. Emma kind of knows that tone. It means she’s in trouble, but Regina isn’t ready to let her know for what just yet. Giving her a chance to come clean first.  
Emma shakes her head and shrugs. “Like I said, killing people is bad.”  
“But she’s a thief and a murderer,” Regina counters.  
“Maybe, but that doesn’t make killing her right,” she insists. “Everyone should get a chance to make up for their mistakes.” She looks up at Regina, hoping she at least considers these words. Maybe it’ll make it more likely that Regina will take her mother’s deal in the future.  
“Some mistakes can’t be reversed.” The sadness underneath the cold demeanor makes Emma want to hug her. But this Regina might not be happy with that.  
“I know, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be forgiven,” she insists.  
“How old are you?” the queen asks.  
“Eight,” she replies proudly.  
“So young and innocent… I suppose I can forgive you your ignorance.” Regina sounds dismissive but also oddly wistful. Maybe she misses being able to believe these things herself.  
Emma wisely holds her tongue on the subject of her innocence. She doesn’t feel that innocent anymore. Something about walking into the remains of a massacre, watching your father die and witnessing the abuse of the serving class has changed that forever.  
And she likes to think that she was always aware that she was blessed to be born in a castle. She is just hopeful that even when things seem to be at their darkest, there is still a chance at a happy ending for everyone who’s willing to fight for it. Like how Anton took a chance and found a new family. How her mother trusted her old enemy and saved her father. How both Ella and Killian had endured and escaped their servitude, exchanging it for better lives.  
Regina gets up, drawing her attention back to her captor/hostess.  
“Get comfortable dear, there’s no telling how long it’ll take your guardian to bring Snow White to me,” she instructs as she smooths out her skirt.  
“How are you so sure they will?” Emma counters.  
“I imagine your parents rather have you back than have a bandit roam free,” Regina grins coyly.  
“We’ll see. Maybe there is a third way,” she smiles sweetly.  
Regina is about to ask what she means, but then one of the guards enter.  
“Your majesty. King George is here with information on the bandit Snow White’s location,” he informs her. Regina rises. “Well, it seems they better hurry no matter what they have planned. Or we’ll have to find some other price to exchange for your release,” she pats her on the head and leaves the room. Good, that should have her busy for a bit. She waits for a little longer and looks out the window. The sun has set. Any moment now Killian will enter the castle. She still doesn’t like the fact that he’ll have to deal with the guards at her door and however many are between his point of entry and the tower she’s in. It’s probably better if she meets them halfway...

* * *

“Give me a minute with the girl.” Emma gasps, she knows that voice.  
The door opens and there stands her grandfather, Henry. She can’t help it, she tears up at once and rushes over to embrace him.  
“Oh!” he exclaims in surprise as she buries her face into his stomach.  
“There now darling, no need to be upset. I promise you the queen won’t hurt you or your loved ones,” he mutters gently. She wants to tell him how much she misses him, but she can’t. So instead she pours everything she has into the hug.  
“I’m scared,” she admits, finally. She is. Not just on this adventure with her family not acting like themselves at all, but in general. When she first heard her parents talk about her destiny, she thought it was exciting. But if the past few months had just been a taste of what that truly meant… It terrifies her. How many more close calls will there be? What if next time she really loses someone?  
“There’s no need to be afraid darling. I can tell you are loved. And those who are loved are never truly alone,” he whispers to her. And she is so grateful to him. He has no idea how badly she needed to hear someone say that. To hear him say that.  
And he is right. Killian didn’t let her deal with landing in the past on her own. Her friends were there for her when she faced the council. Her family was there for her during this entire adventure. There is something within her heart that lights up at that thought, as if confirming that those who love her, and who she loves in return, are with her even if they are separated in miles or years.  
She’d love to prolong this embrace but she’s out of time. “Are the scary men still at the door?” she asks. “Don’t worry, I sent them away.” She smiles. Of course, her grandfather wouldn’t see the point in guards if he’s in the room with her. He probably sent them on a break for a few minutes. Which means that this is her best chance at escaping unless she suddenly finds the hidden passage, which she hadn’t so far. She knows the castle well, but not that well.  
“Thank you… And I’m sorry,” she says before knocking the man out with her magic. She uses another spell to cushion his fall before opening the door and sneaking through the corridors.  
“Enjoy your trip, and thank you for your help,” she hears Regina’s voice echo from the throne room. She’ll either be heading to her chambers or to Roland’s room.  
She hurries on and hides from King George and his knights, both of whom she’s known her entire childhood, who are being escorted down towards the dungeons by a black knight. Her heart tightens as she recalls who’s life has been exchanged for information on her mother’s hideout. She could try to save her, but then Killian might run into dark knights on his way to the tower while she’s headed for the dungeons. And what happens if she does save her? Just breaking a branch had nearly erased her from existence.  
If maid Marion lives, then Robin won’t kidnap her in three years. He won’t be single at the time either. So Regina won’t get her happy ending. She and Roland won’t grow up like siblings… Who knows? Robin might remain an outlaw for longer than he’s supposed to and die in the field one day? Maybe her own parents will be the ones to imprison him for his life of crime after he robs the wrong carriage…  
Killian is right. She can’t rob anyone of their story, whether it’s good or bad. She just hopes Roland will find it in himself to forgive her.  
She takes a deep breath and presses onward. Time to get out of here and head back home.

* * *

Sneaking into a castle with the assistance of a wolf, was something he never envisioned himself doing. But the girls heightened senses were extremely useful. Her heads up enabled them to dodge a larger group of knights and even king George, who’s presence confuses and worries James. Once they were gone they headed onward.  
“What’s my father doing in the evil queen’s castle?” he wonders.  
“Ensuring that she won’t crash your wedding?” Killian suggests. The prince is about to reply when their wolf companion tenses up again. This time in a way that meant, ‘get ready to fight’.  
This, however, wasn’t necessary in the end. Because the figure darting around the corner wasn’t a knight, but a young princess. “Swan? What do you think you’re doing? You’re depriving me of a daring rescue!” Killian jests. He glances towards James with a look that says: ‘Didn’t I tell you this would happen?’  
Emma smiles back cheekily. “Sorry, but I’m not that kind of Princess. No one saves me except me.” Then she undoes the ribbon around her wrist and takes off the ring she put on it for safekeeping. “Look what I found at the castle. Someone must’ve dropped it,” she says innocently.  
“That would be mine,” James hurries. Killian smiles down at her as he tosses the cloak he’s carrying over the wolf, turning her into a woman. “Wow,” Emma breathes with wide eyes as if she didn’t know exactly who the wolf was. “Hi,” Red greets awkwardly. “I’m Red, you must be Alexandra.”  
“Hate to cut the introductions short, but we have to find Snow White and get out of here,” James rushes them. Killian and Emma exchange a pleased look at the sound of worry in his voice and follow the prince and the werewolf.  
After a few stairs and corridors, Killian catches sight of a strange structure through the window. He approaches it and dread settles into his stomach.  
“What is it? Did you find her?” Red asks as the others join him.  
“Aye,” he whispers, “But I wish I didn’t.” They watch how the knights tie Snow White to the stake. “We have to get down there and save her!” Emma cries out desperately. Killian kneels down and presses her against his chest, trying to shield her from the scene down below.  
“I don’t think we can,” David realizes horrified. And just then Regina sends a fireball into the kindling below and Snow White is engulfed in flames.  
Emma is crying her eyes out and Killian can’t do much else but pick her up and urge the others to get back to camp.   
Once there, he manages to calm Emma down while James tries to console Red.

* * *

“When Liam died,” he tells her. “All I could do was relive that final, terrible moment. Don’t do that to yourself Luv. All we can do is focus on the here and now,” he mutters comfortingly. Emma looks up at that. “Wait… I’m here. But my mother is dead. Before I’m born…” Killian shoots up.  
“She survived somehow…” he gasps. “A trick from the queen?” he wonders.  
“For who? She didn’t know we were watching, and even if she did to what end?” Emma argues as an insect starts buzzing around them. “We should head to the castle and look for her then,” Killian states as he swats at the pest. Then he sees it land on Emma’s dress.  
“Hold still Luv,” he warns as he gets ready to rid them of the infuriating distraction.  
“Hey, don’t! It’s just a ladybug. It’s never done anything to you,” she says as she shields the little creature with her hand.  
“It’s being bloody annoying!” Killian argues. “By that logic, I should have had you killed a hundred times over,” she huffs. Before Killian can argue with that the insect flies up again, making a racket. “That’s it!” he grunts getting ready to squash it between his hand and prosthetic.  
“No don’t!” James calls out as he grabs Killian’s hand. When did he get here?  
“When we were coming to rescue you,” he starts explaining as he holds out his hand and the little bug lands on it almost immediately. “Snow told me what the dust would do to the queen. She said it would turn her into a form that could easily be squashed. Like a bug,” he grins relieved as he studies the insect crawling over his hand.  
“You think she used it on herself?” Emma realizes.  
“If she timed it right, she could’ve escaped that fireball and flown away without the Queen realizing it,” he nods. “That’s her alright.” Emma looks up at Killian with a beaming smile. Her father recognized her mom. Even in bug form. After knowing her for less than a day. If that isn’t true love blooming then she doesn’t know what is.  
“Now we just need to find a way to turn her back,” he muses.  
The buzzing became insistent. “It’s like she’s saying something,” Emma observes.  
“If only we could figure out what that is.” Killian sighs exasperatedly. Every time when it seems like they have figured out how to maneuver themselves out of this adventure there seems to be another twist. Hopefully, this is the last one. “She’s calling for me.” They all look up and see the blue fairy approach them.  
“Blue!” Emma sighs in relief. “That’s right,” the fairy confirms a little surprised. “And you are?”  
Emma hesitates and then smirks. “I thought you knew everything about everyone?” she grins.  
“Alright, keep your secrets,” the fairy answers with a lenient smile.  
“Can you turn her back?” Red asks hopefully.  
“Yes, black fairy magic did this. The magic of a light fairy can undo it.”  
And just like that Snow is back to herself, much to the relief of everyone present. “You’re alive!” Emma squeals through her tears as she embraces her mother. The young princess blinks in surprise and looks down. After a moment’s hesitation she looks up at Killian. “This is your princess?” she wonders. “I’m charged with ensuring her safe return home,” he nods. “And she’s a dear friend to me, I thank you for your aid,” he replies with a bow.  
Snow smiles and crouches down. “Did you see the queen use her fireball?” she asks. Emma nods.  
“I’m sorry that must’ve been so scary,” the bandit offers kindly.  
Emma tries to straighten herself. “I’m just glad you didn’t die because of me,” she whispers.  
“Hey, even if I did, it wouldn’t have been your fault. I decided to face the queen alone and use dark magic. I won’t make that mistake again,” she promises. Emma smiles and nods.  
“There, now dry your tears, what would your mother say if she saw you like this?” she offers in a firm but kind voice. Emma wipes at her face and straightens herself out.  
“Snow!” Red exclaims, unable to contain her relief any longer. Charming joins the reunion as they walk away from the fire to catch Snow up on their side of the adventure.  
Killian sits himself down in relief and Emma joins him. “There now Swan,” he mutters gently as he wipes a few missed tears from her cheeks. “It’s alright.”  
She looks up at him and smiles. The worst of it is finally over. Tomorrow, they’re going home. But for now, they should settle in for the night and rest.

* * *

[What now?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/56612731)


	33. VIII Back on track

**Princess Emma**

**V To when and back again**

**VIII Back on track**

The morning sun wakes Emma up. She stretches herself out and looks around. Killian is helping Prince James clean up their campsite and bandit Snow White is saying goodbye to Red.  
Thinking back to the stories she’s heard she remembers that her mother can’t go back to her hideout. If the queen somehow discovers she’s still alive then she’ll have it surrounded. As Red disappears into the forest she approaches the runaway princess.  
“Miss Snow?” she says nervously, it’s so odd to address her mother this way.  
“Yes, Alexandra?” her mother’s past self answers curiously.  
“Yesterday, the queen was trying to see if I knew anything about you and then the knight said there was a king with information about you. I think they know where you’re hiding. You can’t go back there,” she warns. Snow frowns at that, looks back to James who’s taken a break from packing and squeezing the last drops out of his water canteen and then back at her. “Thank you for telling me this,” she smiles before walking over to the prince. Emma goes back to Killian who’s observing the young monarchs with a pleased smile.  
“Looks like your parents are getting along,” he smirks. Then he catches her nervous expression.  
“What is it Luv?”  
Emma takes a deep breath. “I just learned that the day my parents truly fell in love, is also the day Roland’s mother is supposed to die. She’ll be executed at sunset…” she says with a shaky voice. Robin never used those exact words. But she could infer from context and knowing how long it’d take to travel between the castles she could estimate the timing.  
“Luv, we’ve already meddled with the past enough. And we can’t risk you getting hurt in a rescue mission either. He wouldn’t want that. There’s nothing to feel bad for. Sir Robin has stalled her end once before and saved Roland’s life in the process. But to stall it again is taunting the fates in ways I’m sure they won’t like,” he warns.  
Emma nods. “I know. I just don’t know how I’m supposed to look Roland in the eye knowing I could’ve saved his mother and didn’t,” she mutters. “He hates King George for killing her, what if he’ll hate me now too?” she wonders.  
Killian lays a firm hand on her shoulders and looks her in the eye. “Emma,” he whispers so no one can catch him using her real name. “Roland loves you, you are his sister in all but blood. He might need some time to come to terms with things, but in the end, he will still love you. He’ll understand that you couldn’t risk making things worse. I promise you. He’s too smart to stay mad at you,” he tells her with certainty. He’s seen how protective that boy is over his baby sister. At times he seems to forget how capable and mature she can be. Emma takes a deep breath as she relaxes and nods. “Thank you,” she whispers.

* * *

“Hey, everything alright here?” They both look up and find a nervous-looking James approaching them.  
“Yeah, we’re about to go home. This little princess has a set of parents to return to.” Killian announces. The prince nods in understanding and shakes his hand.  
“Well sir Neil, it was a pleasure.” He then bows for Emma, but he looks a bit distracted.  
“What’s wrong?” Emma asks.  
“Did either of you see Snow?” he asks worriedly. “She left a while ago for the river and…” Suddenly he reaches inside his vest and his eyes widen.  
“She stole the ring didn’t she?” Emma guesses amused.  
“Any idea where she might be going?” Killian presses. James nods absentmindedly. “She said she was trying to secure passage on a pirate ship… there’s only one way from here to the docks. The troll bridge,” he tells them as he takes off. “Be safe you two!” he shouts back before disappearing from sight. Emma smiles and then bites her lip with a frown.  
“What now Swan? Isn’t that where your mother saved your father?” Killian wonders tensely.  
“Yeah, but she used the dust. What if she can’t save him now she doesn’t have it?”  
Killian sighs. “Let’s go make sure then,” he suggests as they head to the bridge. Once there they find it empty. “That’s a good sign,” Emma notes as they continue their path down the road.  
“Wait,” Killian whispers as he catches sight of the Charmings through the trees.  
They watch from the sidelines as the two young semi-royals talk awkwardly, obviously taken with one another.  
And then the magic moment happens. Watching the look of realization, of complete awe on the future king’s face, makes something in Killian’s heart stir. He always knew that he and Milah weren’t true love despite the crocodile’s taunts. True love, the kind that breaks curses, that was a once in a lifetime, rare type of magic that overcomes all odds. His love for Milah was true as was hers for him. But it was never that kind of magic. Seeing it unfold in front of him now, made a long forgotten part of him long for that feeling. Once upon a time he’d been an idealistic and hopeless romantic. Inspired by the sharp turn his fortune had made once he joined the navy he’d hoped to be a true hero who’d earn such a fabled treasure someday. After turning to piracy, he knew that that was never going to happen. But he didn’t give up on romance. After Milah died he didn’t think it was worth the heartbreak anymore. But after everything that happened during the adventure in Ozz and seeing Emma’s father going from ‘maybe there is no such thing’ to ‘I will always find this woman’ right in front of his eyes…  
Maybe, maybe there is a reason he’s lived this long. Somewhere out there, there might be a better life waiting for him to find it. If not true love, then a purpose.  
He looks down at the end result of the moment they are witnessing and sees her hold back tears.  
“It’s alright Luv,” he assures her. “Not everyone gets the chance to witness their parents fall in love.”  
Tears start falling and Emma looks up at him with a smile. And he knows, deep down, that just meeting her was worth every step he’d taken to lead him to that alley that night.  
He winks down at her and then turns his attention back to the road where Snow and Charming each head in a different direction. “Should they be parting ways?” he asks worriedly. Did they do something wrong?  
“Yes. It’s going to take some time before they admit their feelings for each other,” Emma confirms.  
“Well… Then I guess we did it, Swan. Everything is as it should be.” And thank the gods for that.  
“Well… Other than our little side adventures,” he corrects as they return to the road and start walking towards the dark castle.

* * *

“Say, perhaps we should change back in less conspicuous clothing?” Killian suggests looking down at his attire. It’s not exactly inconspicuous.  
“I can’t make clothing appear like the dark one does. And if I want to exchange these for ours I’d first need to know exactly where he put them. Believe me, I’d love to have my tunic and cloak back instead of this. It’s nice for a dance, but walking through the woods? Not really.”  
“Well, we’ll just have to hope we can avoid running into any nefarious individuals until we are somewhere safe.” With somewhere safe, he means a well so they can call upon Rumpelstiltskin and go home. It’d save them over a day’s journey.  
“Nefarious individuals? He couldn’t be talking about us? Could he Little John?” a familiar voice asks, pleasant but tense. “Oh, no,” Emma whispers.  
Killian whirls around and aims his blade at the outlaw who’s casually leaning against a tree as the rest of his men have arrows pointed at him. Of course. That was something that hadn’t gone wrong yet.  
“Leave us alone. We are but a knight and his charge trying to get home after an already horrendous night,” he tells them.  
“Sorry to hear that, but we’re going to be needing some gold to bribe the queen’s guards. My love Marion is in danger you see. I seek to return her to our son. I am more than willing to duel you for it,” Robin states casually, though his eyes grow regretful as his eyes land on Emma’s form hiding behind Killian. Emma’s thoughts go a mile a minute.  
“Others beat you to it. You can search us but you won’t find anything of real value on our persons,” Killian insists. “Your love isn’t at the queen’s castle!” Emma adds hurriedly. This gets Robin’s attention. He shoots up and finally reveals the tension he’s truly feeling.  
“What…? Where is she then? How do you know?” he demands desperately.  
“Because I just escaped the Queen’s castle myself,” Emma starts. Robin’s face shows his despair.  
“Robin!” a plump friar calls out as he hurries up the road as fast as he can. “I got word from my friend in the palace,” he says. Emma smiles sadly. Friar Tuck’s friend in the palace was her grandfather. Regina and Robin often wondered if they would’ve been introduced through them if things had gone differently. “Marion was moved last night, to king George’s castle South from here. He couldn’t say whether he plans on keeping her alive or not.”  
Robin frowns and looks back at them. “You can waste time searching us or you can head south now,” Killian points out. Robin nods. “Count yourself lucky. Tuck, thank you for your aid, go check on Roland,” he insists before leading his men back into the woods.

* * *

“Attacking a child,” Killian huffs disapprovingly. “Poor form.”  
“He’s not himself… But I have an idea on how to make it up to Roland,” she whispers. “Can I have your mirror?” she asks. Killian frowns and nods as he hands the small round object over.  
“Let’s see if I can…” she focuses and in the surface of the mirror they see Marion looking up at them, or down into whatever it is that’s reflecting her face.  
“What…?” she whispers confused.  
“I have little time to explain,” Emma rushes, her face tense with concentration.  
“Your husband is on his way to save you, he’s giving it his all, but he might be too late. I know you have a son… Is there anything you wish to tell him?” Emma asks hurriedly. “I… How…? Is this a trick?” she asks hesitantly.  
Emma shakes her head. “Please… I can’t save your life, but I can gift your son with this message from you. I will find him ten years from now,” she insists.  
Marion hesitates, Emma’s rant clearly making no sense, but then she sighs and looks back at them with a sad smile, imagining her baby’s face matured into that of a boy on the verge of his teens.  
“My darling. You’re just a babe right now, but if you hear this message, you are a young man and I haven’t been there to see you grow,” she offers a sad smile.  
“I hope you are happy though. That’s all I want. Whether you are a knight or a shepherd, be happy. I hope your father found love again and know that I don’t envy whoever you have come to know as 'mother'. I am grateful for every single person that enters your life and brings more love your way. Because you deserve to be loved and cherished. I wasn’t meant to even live through your birth. Your father made sure that I did and I have been grateful for every day I got to spend with you. It’s already been more than what was meant to be. I am not afraid. I need you to know this. I do not fear the end. Because I know you and your father will be alright without me. I love you, and so long as you have happiness and love, I couldn’t be prouder. I wish you the best darling.”  
Then there’s a sound on her side of the conversation and her surprised movement breaks the connection. Emma sighs. “That’s the best I can do for him,” she whispers as she waves her hand over the mirror to seal the message inside. It won’t hold long. But they won’t need it to.  
“As someone with little memories from my mother, hearing her voice like that would mean the world to me Luv. It’s a marvelous gift,” Killian assures her.  
“Thanks.” She takes a deep breath and looks up to the road ahead.

* * *

“Come on love. Let’s find a well to summon the dark one,” he suggests.  
“Right,” Emma nods feeling both eager and nervous. Once home she’d have to face her dad and the rest of the family who’ll be angry with her for running away the way she did.  
“It’ll be alright Luv. I’ll protect you,” Killian teases. “And your father might be angrier with himself for scaring you than he is with you for being scared.” He is quite sure of that actually.  
“You really think he didn’t mean what he said?” Emma asks timidly.  
Killian shrugs. “He meant parts of it probably. But the past few months have been hard on him too. All his emotions were running high and even if he meant the words when he said them. Given the time to sort through his thoughts, he’ll probably articulate his true thoughts better. But that’s a conversation only you can have with him,” he tells her.  
Emma nods thoughtfully and spends the rest of their hike thinking over things to say, ways to apologize and to ask her questions.  
Luckily it doesn’t take them long to find a well suitable for their objective.  
“Want to do the honors Luv?” Killian offers. Emma nods.  
“Rumpelstiltskin, Rumpelstiltskin, Rumpelstiltskin,” she says and then they are no longer in the forest but in the dark castle, in their own clothes and looking at Rumpelstiltskin putting the finishing touches to a potion.  
“I trust your parent’s story is on track?” Rumpelstiltskin queries as he studies the liquid in the glass valve.  
“Yes, we left them exactly where and when their story is supposed to be at this point in time,” Emma nods.  
“Do you have a way for us to go back?” Killian asks in return.  
The dark one looks up and giggles. “Well, yes and no.” He picks up a fairy wand. Emma doesn’t want to know how he got it.  
“This wand is fabled to have the power to reproduce any magic that’s ever existed. So in theory, it can open your portal, but only if it’s used by one who used the portal as well.” He hands the wand over to Emma who accepts it nervously. “Do you have what it takes?” he challenges.  
“I think so… What’s the potion for?” she asks.  
“Oh, that’s for me. I know too much about my future, and if I don’t want to wait another 30 years for my happy ending, I have to make sure I don’t do anything to ruin things. So I must forget what I know. Once you are gone, I drink this and your enchanted life is safe,” he explains. “Safe travels,” he grins.  
Emma nods and turns to the door. “Alright… Here we go,” she whispers nervously.  
“You can do it Luv. Just focus on where you want to go,” Killian encourages her gently.  
Emma straightens at that. “Home,” she agrees and with that, the wand glows and opens the portal.  
Emma grins up at Killian and puts away the wand. “Let’s get out of here,” she states as she grabs Killian’s hand and jumps through the portal with him.

Once the portal is gone, Rumpelstiltskin downs the potion and the moment he puts the valve down his eye falls on the wand. “What’s that doing here?” he wonders as he picks it up and takes it back to its rightful place.

* * *

[Thank god it's almost over](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/56952730)


	34. IX Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back home at last Emma is reunited with her parents. And Killian? He just might get a chance to get the king's approval.

**Princess Emma**

**V To when and back again**

**IX Home**

The portal spits them out, not where they started, but the spot where they left Mira and Theseus. Emma scrambles to her feet and hurries towards her horse, who’s spooked by the sudden portal.  
“Ho there girl, it’s just me, easy,” she soothes her. The young mare steadily calms down at her person’s voice. Theseus, who’s more accustomed to magic events and had sensed the portal coming, sniffs at Emma’s hair causing her to giggle.  
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she assures him. Behind her, Killian lets out a groan as he slowly gets up.  
She rushes over to him and helps him up as best she can. “You okay Killian?” she asks.  
“I’m fine lass. Just hit the ground a little harder than last time,” he assures her.  
He looks around and somewhere in the distance he can see a bright glow dying out. They arrived moments before they left it seems. That’s a relief.  
“Well lass,” he sighs as he dusts himself off. “When it comes to running away from your problems, you have officially reached your peak. Please don’t try to top this.”  
Emma can’t help but laugh and hugs her friend. “Thank you for stopping me. And for following me into the past.”  
“Always Swan,” he assures her. Then they hear horses arrive. They look up and find that king David, sir Robin, and Roland have arrived.  
“Emma!” David yells relieved as he gets off Ariadne.  
“Daddy!” Emma calls out as she runs towards him and hugs him tight.  
“I’m sorry for running away,” she cries in relief. “I didn’t…”  
“It’s alright, you’re safe,” David mutters into her hair. “Your mother had to stay with your brother, and Regina is keeping an eye on Zelena or they’d be here too,” he informs her.  
David then looks up to the captain. “Thank you,” he tells Killian, sincere and a bit ashamed. Catching the captain a bit of guard.  
“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for that girl your highness,” Killian assures him calmly.  
“That much is clear. I can’t begin to think what would’ve happened if you hadn’t stopped her when you did.”  
Emma is about to say something else, to apologize, to try and explain, but she’s pulled from her father’s embrace by Roland. “Don’t you ever use your magic against me again alright?” He instructs. “If I’m trying to stop you, I have a good reason. You understand?” His voice is shaky with repressed sobs.  
Emma returns the hug and nods into him. “I’m sorry Roland. I wasn’t thinking,” she explains, feeling terrible. Regina had warned her time and again to never use her magic on those she cares about without their permission, not even to protect them.  
“No, you weren’t. But it’s okay. Now we can go home,” he tells her.

* * *

Before Emma can even let go, they are swept up by a whirl of purple smoke and she finds herself back in the reading room.  
“Emma!” Emma looks up and sees her mother beside her, carrying her brother in one arm as she falls to her knees and wraps the other tightly around her to pull her close.  
“Sorry,” she cries. Both truly remorseful and relieved to finally have her parents back. “I…”  
“When Roland came and told us you’d heard us… Oh, sweetheart, I thought I’d lost you forever.”  
She pulls back and gives her mother a timid smile. “Mommy, you should’ve known that daddy would find me,” she tries. Her mother isn’t entirely amused.  
“Do you have any idea what you put us through?” Regina seethes.  
Emma flinches and turns around in her mother’s embrace to look at her godmother.  
“I’m sorry Regina… I…”  
“I just got my son back, after he was kidnapped for months. And then you think that this is the right time to run away?” Emma looks down. She knows she made a mistake, but no one will let her apologize. How is she supposed to make things right if they don’t listen?  
“Now listen here!” Killian interrupts firmly. “Believe me when I say that Emma feels horrible for upsetting all of you. The whole reason she was so pent up on emotions that she ran was because she didn’t want to bother any of you with how she felt about the whole situation in the past few months. I’m sure you all tried to shield her from everything that’s been going on, but she noticed. The last thing she needs right now is a scolding. There’s time for that later.”  
Everyone looks at Killian in surprise. The king is the first to speak.  
“You’re right Jones…” he mutters as he kneels with his family and strokes his daughter's hair.  
“Emma… I’m sorry. I don’t know what you heard, but I was just… Overwhelmed with everything that happened and I was… I was using your friend to vent my anger. The truth is… I’m angry at myself. I didn’t protect you the way I wish I had. And the things I said about you… I didn’t mean them. Even as I said them I didn’t believe a word. I’m sorry I made you feel like you didn’t belong here. You are my princess, no matter what. I’ve just been so worried…” his voice dies out as he searches for the words.  
“Because I’m the savior?” she guesses.  
This makes a heavy silence fall over the room.  
“How…?” King David whispers astonished.  
“I heard you and mommy talk…” she explains nervously.  
The king and queen exchange a glance and then sigh defeated. He looks at her and nods.  
“You don’ have to worry daddy. Whatever comes, you’ll all be there to help me right?”  
David lets out a relieved laugh. “Of course,” he nods.  
“Then I’ll be alright,” she states. And she believes it with all her heart. Her family can do anything. So long as they do it together.  
A wave of relief washes over the adults in the room at that. They will talk about what happened the past few months, tomorrow after they’ve all had a decent night’s rest. But now they were just happy that they were together and that Emma’s faith in them wasn’t damaged.

* * *

At that moment the baby starts to make some cooing noises. “Oh, baby brother wants to say hi,” Emma coos delighted. Her parents chuckle as they watch her and Roland gather around the baby and watch as his eyes open the tiniest bit.  
“Should we tell her his name?” Snow wonders, desperately wanting to end the evening on a lighter note. Both Emma and Rolland light up at that.  
“Why not?” David allows. “Everyone, meet prince Neil.”  
Emma and Killian lock eyes with one another and have to hold back their laughter when they hear the name. “What a great name! How did you come up with it?” Emma asks innocently.  
“We never told you that part of the story did we?” David realizes.  
“Well when your mother stole my ring she dropped it, and it was picked up by a princess about your age at the time.” Emma bites her lip. The princess was exactly her age, but her dad couldn’t know that.  
“I didn’t know this until after I-”  
“Trapped me,” Snow interjects.  
“Well yeah,” David allows with a fond smile before continuing his tale. “The knight that accompanied her approached us and told us that his princess had found the ring and then got captured by Regina. We saved the princess, found my ring,” he skips over the part where they thought Snow had died. There is no reason to upset Emma. That is the whole reason why they haven’t included that part of the story until now.  
“And we parted ways. The rest is history.”  
Emma nods patiently, encouraging her father to explain their choice.  
“The knight’s name was Neil. And not only did he help me believe in a happy ending for myself again. He taught me something invaluable… Something I lost sight of the past week,” David looks apologetically at his daughter. “In the time that I knew him, which was admittedly not very long, he never once doubted his princess. He believed in her and her ability to look after herself. He didn’t just seek to protect her, he wished to stand by her side as she faced her adventures. Which is why I wanted to name your brother after him. So I’ll never forget the example he set for me. It’s all fine and good to want to protect those you love, but you must trust them to find their own paths in life and stand by them, not in their way.”  
Emma hugs her father, relieved to hear him say this. “Daddy, I have an interesting story to tell you,” she grins as she looks up at him.  
Everyone is astonished as Emma and Killian give them the rundown of their adventure.  
“Seriously, next time, bring me along!” Roland complains.  
Emma bites her lip and takes out the mirror. “Roland… I have something for you… I… I couldn’t save her. There was no telling what would’ve happened if I did. But I thought you might like to hear her voice?” She offers the mirror to him and with a confused frown, he looks into it. His eyes widen and he stays perfectly still for a few moments. Suddenly he drops the mirror and tackles Emma in a hug, nearly suffocating her in the process. “Thank you, thank you for this,” he whispers with tears in his eyes.  
“What just happened?” Robin asks confused.  
“Remember the young maiden and her knight you were going to search for gold to bribe a black knight?” Killian asks. Robin’s eyes widen.  
“That was you? I always wondered what happened. I apologize. I was quite desperate that day.”  
Killian shrugs. “Water under the bridge mate,” he assures him. “Anyway. After you left, Emma contacted Marion in her cell or transport or wherever she was at the time and she captured a parting message to Roland.”  
Tears jump to Robin’s eyes and he looks down at his son and Emma who are still hugging.  
He kneels down, drawing Emma’s attention to him. He looks her in the eye and smiles at her, tears in his eyes. “Thank you, Emma… I’m happy he gets to have a memory of his birth mother.”  
Regina sits down next to her husband and leans into his side. “Me too… I hope I didn’t scare you…” she says gently. A little nervous as she remembers that day. She’d never wanted her goddaughter to see that side of her.  
“You could never scare me off Regina,” Emma assures her as she smiles up at her over Roland’s shoulder.

* * *

“This is just nauseating,” Zelena huffs from her place on the couch. This finally gets the surrogate siblings to let go. Roland is about to step in front of Emma but she pushes on. She has something to say to her.  
“I’m not ready to forgive you,” she states. “I’m still mad, and what you did to my family, was really scary. I will give you a chance to be better, but I won’t pretend I’m okay with everything,” she states, feeling lighter now that she said these things out loud. Even if she is still a little afraid her parents will be disappointed in her. Still. Killian’s assurance that she isn’t bad for feeling this way gives her the courage to be honest.  
Zelena looks impressed. “Well, I appreciate your honesty munchkin,” she smirks.  
“I think it’s high time these two go to bed,” Robin insists as he steers Roland and Emma out the door, not wanting the woman in the same room as the children for too long.  
“Bye Killian!” Emma exclaims hurriedly, a little panicked.  
“You’ll see your friend when he comes back to port. He’ll be our personal guest,” her father promises to the surprise of both the princess and the pirate.  
“Thank you, daddy,” she smiles as she lets Robin usher her to the nursery.  
Once the sound of footsteps dies out Killian turns to the gathered group, determined to get answers, but before he can say anything Regina starts talking.  
“Don’t worry about your reward. I already sent everything straight to your ship,” she sighs as she lets herself fall into the couch opposite of the one her sister is sitting in.  
“Thank you for the consideration, but that was the last thing on my mind,” Killian assures her, a little annoyed that she still doesn’t get where his priorities lie. “What’s this savior business?” he demands.  
The Charmings glance from Regina to Zelena with wary eyes.  
“Oh, is it a secret?” the witch grins intrigued. “But I already know. Do you think I didn’t ask Rumpel why she has magic powerful enough to resist me when I first found out? I know all about…”  
Her face goes from slightly sadistic pleasure to annoyance when she finds that words no longer come out of her mouth.  
“It’s not your place to tell,” Regina clarifies before gesturing with her hand again.  
“Oh, you are no fun,” the witch huffs annoyed, but she doesn’t attempt to spill the beans again.  
King David looks down at his queen who nods, indicating that he should do the talking.  
“When we gave Regina her chance, we had a backup plan. A dagger enchanted so that if she tried to kill Snow with it, it would curse her so she’d be unable to harm either of us ever again… In this realm. She didn’t. But she helped us capture Rumpelstiltskin and realized… He wanted her to cast the dark curse.”  
Killian stiffens. “I heard whispers of it. In the darkest corners of the kingdom. A curse that would damn the entire realm. Even the vilest of…” he stops himself from speaking the expletive that lays on his tongue as he glances to the babe in the queen's arms. The boy who, technically, is named for him.  
Now, that is something he never expected to happen to him. He should take this honor serious, even if it hadn’t been bestowed upon him intentional. “Individuals, spoke of it in fear. And that was just the rumors.”  
Regina nods. “It would have destroyed our realm. Banished us all, ruined everyone’s lives. From the proudest king to the lowest of beggars. No one would’ve been spared. We would’ve gone to a realm without magic,” she explains.  
That sets off a whole set of alarms. Of course. All of this, everything Rumpelstiltskin has ever done since Killian first met him had served one purpose. Baelfire. And all this time, Bae wasn’t even in the realm without magic anymore.  
“But that curse would be broken…” David continues tensely. “By a savior.”  
No. “But… Emma wasn’t even born…” he recalls. Stories of the redeemed queen had reached him well before he saw the fireworks. Even if Emma would be born by the time the curse was cast… How was she supposed to break it as a newborn?  
“Chances are it would’ve taken me a while to get everything in order. Just long enough for Snow and Charming to get Emma to safety.”  
“Alone!?” he demands. No, she would’ve been lost. With no idea of her family… none of her friends would be with her. “So Emma was just a sacrificial lamb to him?”  
“You know as well as I that to a scheming villain, everyone is either a chess piece or collateral damage,” Regina reminds him. And he hates that she is right. His past self had proven that much.  
“Who’s collateral damage?” Robin asks as he reenters the room.  
“Are they asleep?” Snow asks eagerly.  
“Yes, Roland is sleeping in Emma’s room tonight. I figured they’d both feel better if they weren’t alone right now. After everything.”  
Snow nods. “She’ll be happy to have him stay over,” she mutters to herself.  
“The pirate wants to know about the savior,” Zelena supplies bored, getting them all back on subject.  
“Oh,” Robin states as he rejoins his wife and kisses her hair. “You okay?” he wonders. Regina smiles and nods. “Those days are far behind me,” she assures him.  
“Indeed,” David agrees before turning back to Killian to continue his story.  
“We thought that with Regina redeemed and Rumpelstiltskin imprisoned, the danger had been vanquished… But things weren’t so simple. I don’t know how much Emma has told you about the stories of her first year…?”  
“Something about someone brought back to life with a stolen heart and an attempted kidnapping by king George? I know the essentials I assume,” he confirms.  
“Good… Well, we had nightmares during this time. Of darkness claiming Emma.” David sighs as he recalls those nights, it turns Killian’s blood to ice.  
“It turns out that Emma’s fate is decided. No matter what we do, she will be a savior of happy endings. We can’t protect her from that.”  
The pirate frowns. “That doesn’t sound so bad,” he argues.  
“It doesn’t,” David nods. “Except for the final battle every savior must endure,” he clarifies.  
Final battle… None of that sounds good. “What kind of final battle?” he insists.  
“We don’t know,” Regina states. “A lethal one, potentially. But we have agreed that no matter what, she won’t face it alone. We’ll be by her side to support her however we can. By teaching her the skills she needs and providing her with aid when possible. It’s a pact we’ve made,” she explains.  
“Can we count on you to do the same?” the king asks seriously.  
Killian straightens his back. “I’d like to see you try and stop me,” he challenges.  
The king smiles and nods at that. “Good… Now about this pirate business. I can’t let Emma be friends with a wanted man,” he states firmly. Killian is about to argue. Weren’t they past this?  
“Were you serious? When you talked to me as Neil. About wanting to be better?” he asks.  
Killian nods stiffly. “Good. Then we’ll have to find a way for you to sail your ship without being hunted in every kingdom in the realm won’t we?”  
Killian doesn’t know what to say. He looks over at Robin. Once an outlaw, now a guardian of justice.  
Is that what they are talking about? A pardon for all his crimes under minimal conditions? A chance at a clean slate?  
He looks back at the king and nods seriously. He won’t ruin this.

* * *

[All's well that ends well](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080483/chapters/57336205)


	35. Queens from the shadows

**Princess Emma**

**VI Happy endings**

**I Queens from the shadows**

“It’s going to be okay,” Emma whispers to Lilly.  
Her friend is sitting behind her on Mira as they follow Graham back into the palace. They met in the forest to play today and after a long conversation both agreed that now is as good a time as any to tell her parents the truth about her.  
Lilly has come to the castle a few times since they met, but the king and queen don’t know of her parentage. The little horns won’t stay hidden for much longer though and now that her parents have opened up a little to the idea of Emma having some ‘different’ friends, she doesn’t want to lie to them anymore.  
It’s been a week since her brother’s birth. Killian now has a full pardon from all the allied kingdoms and is officially turning away from a pirate’s life to a life of professional adventurers. Which is all the treasure hunting and swordfights without the being wanted criminals part. Hunting dangerous sea creatures, being hired to topple the slave trade, finding lost treasure, both of the gold kind and of the priceless lost artefacts kind… Noble adventures.  
According to Killian’s letters, the crew is pleased with this new course as well.  
Emma has called in Lady Belle’s help in finding a way to break their contract with Pan without losing the benefits Neverland provides. Once the beans Tiny is growing are ready they’ll have a way to get out of Neverland without permission as soon as they have a spell, or potion, or something that can help them.  
A ball is being put together to celebrate her birthday and Neil’s birth for the end of the week. Then she and her parents will tour the kingdom so she can meet her people. And lastly there’s a big celebration in Melody’s kingdom. She and her friends will get to stay over at her grandfather’s place the night before as a special treat. And Emma is hoping she’ll be allowed to invite Lilly along.  
“Yeah, because a friend who turns into a fire breathing lizard is totally at the top of their list of things they are okay with,” Lilly mutters nervously.  
“It’s probably just below climbing a beanstalk with a famous pirate,” Emma points out cheekily.  
Lilly chuckles. “Well, you’re probably right…” she agrees, though the nerves are not completely gone.  
“Daddy promised he’ll trust me to make my own decisions from now on. Regina can back us up…”  
“Your friend Philip’s parents are totally not still mad about the whole sleeping curse and monster transformation thing…” Lilly points out, still not ready to trust that everything will turn out right.  
“You had nothing to do with that. And if my parents can forgive Regina, then Queen Aurora and King Philip can give your mom a chance,” Emma insists in a way that says ‘and if they don’t I’ll make them’. Lilly doesn’t doubt her friend will make good on that. She can’t help the smile that breaks free at that thought. Someday, she’ll repay Emma for everything she’s done for her.  
Suddenly the forest path gives way to the cobbled road to the palace. Lilly tightens her hold on Emma’s waist as they enter the palace. They are helped off Mira’s back by Graham and guided to the throne room. This is when she sees that Emma is tensing up herself.  
“So I’m not the only nervous one,” Lilly teases.  
Emma looks back with a small smile. “The throne room means that we got guests,” she explains.  
Lilly sighs. Of course there are guests. It wouldn’t be right if their plans didn’t involve unexpected complications.  
“Don’t worry, whoever is here, it doesn’t change a thing,” Emma assures her as she pulls her by the hand to walk through the lavishly decorated doors.  
There they find not just the Charmings, the young prince napping in his mother’s arms, but also their friends Aurora and Philip along with their son. Just perfect.  
“Emma! Hi!” the seven year old Philip greets eagerly.  
“Prince Philip,” she bows in greeting, reminding the boy that they aren’t in the ‘we are all friends here’ part of the castle. The young prince corrects himself and bows back. Glancing at Lilly curiously.  
“Your majesties,” she greets the visiting regents, Lilly awkwardly following her lead  
“Hello there Emma, we were just discussing your new… Ally,” Aurora explains with a worried frown.  
“Anton? Or do you speak of captain Jones?” Emma asks formally. She knows that she can’t jump to her friend’s defense the way she wants to. Philip’s parents aren’t here as their friends, but as rulers of their kingdom, otherwise they’d be having this conversation in the living quarters of the castle.  
The queen bites her lip a little nervously, not wanting to upset the girl. She’s heard of the trials she went through and she doesn’t want to add to that.  
“Surely it can’t be Zelena considering she’s more of a prisoner at present than an ally.  
Are you uncomfortable with a shrunken giant roaming our lands?” Emma asks.  
Aurora glances at her husband who is quite impressed with Emma’s diplomatic disposition. It’s different from when she laid down the law barely two weeks ago.  
“We don’t doubt Anton will be a valuable friend and ally to all of us. And we are sure that Queen Regina has her sister handled,” he assures her.  
“The captain then,” Emma concludes. “Is it my judgement or my parent’s you have come to question?”  
Eyes widen. This is as aggressive as anyone has ever seen Emma be. Snow and David can’t help but feel pride at their daughter. They couldn’t wish for a better successor.  
“Not at all… We just… Wish to know what led to this decision. We have already agreed to grant the pardon within our borders… But…” The queen is at a loss for words. How does one politely discuss a pirate’s past misdeeds in the presence of children?  
“I understand you are worried for your people. Captain Jones has saved my life and chosen to aid my family at great personal risk on several occasions. This has earned him our trust. But be assured that if he ever betrays us and turns his crew on the innocent, we will personally see to it that he is brought to justice. On this you have my word,” she says plainly.  
“Well… Thank you,” Aurora lets out a small laugh at the ridiculousness. How is she being put in her place by an eight year old? Emma’s confidence and charisma at this age is baffling.  
“I greatly admire your family’s ability to make allies in unlikely places,” she offers kindly, then her eye is caught by the nervously shifting girl behind Emma. Her hair dark, her skin tanned by the sun. Her clothes are of high quality, but comfortable for playing and suspiciously dark in color.  
“Who is this?” the queen asks.  
“My friend Lilly, the daughter of one of Regina’s old friends,” Emma states calmly. Letting the pieces fall in place. It takes a few moments, but then King Philip steps in front of his family as Queen Aurore pushes the prince behind her. Luckily no weapons are drawn.  
Emma’s parents simply sigh exasperated.  
“Please tell me this is the last surprise darling,” her mother pleads. After everything else they’ve come to understand about their daughter and the life she leads when they are not looking, this was not so bad.  
“As far as I know,” she tells her before turning to the king and queen who are eyeing the girl behind her as if she’s about to turn into a dragon.  
“I told you this would happen,” Lilly mutters dejectedly.  
“Nonsense Lil. Surely they aren’t afraid of an eight year old?” While she addresses her friend she keeps her eyes on the king and queen of the Moorlands.  
“Princess Emma, with all due respect you know what her mother…” the king starts tensely.  
“Her mother! Not her. Do you believe that a parent’s sins should be put on their child’s shoulders to bare? Not to mention that Maleficent hasn’t even really left her cave since Lilly was born.”  
That statement hangs in the air.  
“She put me in a sleeping curse, not to mention what she did to Philip!” Aurora insists.  
“I don’t demand that you forgive Maleficent. But I ask you, please,” Emma’s voice breaks over her plea. Her composure slipping. “Consider that Lilly wasn’t even born at this time. She doesn’t deserve to live her life in fear of her mother’s enemies, does she? That is the fate you all are afraid of for us. That your enemies will seek retribution trough us.”  
No one knows what to say to that.  
“I… Well… I suppose… But even if Lilly isn’t like her mother…”  
“Maleficent isn’t like the Maleficent who put you under that curse all those years ago. Example. When she found out Lilly and I had met she didn’t burn me to a crisp out of fear that I’d blab about their location to my parents. And she didn’t take me to her cave as a permanent playmate to keep Lily happy despite the isolation they endure due to her fear of you guys being too blinded by fear of who she used to be to see that there’s a child with her.”  
Philip looks at his wife… Are they the boogieman in this girl’s nightmares?  
“Lilly is really sweet. And yes she can turn into a dragon. And she doesn’t always follow the rules. And she doesn’t always look before she leaps. But she is also protective and funny and… She is my friend,” Emma’s regal pose and tone completely disappear as she defends her friend. The emotions brewing inside of her breaking through her self-control.  
It is Prince Philip who steps around his parents and approaches Emma and Lilly.  
“Emma always tells me that I am too quick to dislike the villains in the story… Now I know that people once thought my dad was a monster. Auntie Mulan would’ve killed him if given the chance. So… What I’m trying to say is. Want to be friends?” he asks, offering his hand.  
Lilly steps around Emma with a tentative smile and reaches out.  
Then Lilly disappears and Emma turns to find that Maleficent has appeared a few paces away from them. She’s dressed in a simple black dress, her hair falling in loose curls around her face, her horns and staff the only parts of her that reminded of the woman she once was. Looking between Emma and her former enemies.  
“Mom!” Lilly complains.  
“Sorry dear, when I couldn’t find you I panicked a little I suppose,” Maleficent tells her daughter, though she doesn’t relax. “Emma was trying to make peace!” Lilly sighs defeated.  
“And… She succeeded,” Aurora states.  
“If… You truly are done enacting vengeance against my family for something that happened long before most of us were even born?” she clarifies.  
A moment of stunned silence hangs in the air. Then Maleficent relaxes her stance and nods.  
“Very well. In hindsight I understand that it was wrong of me,” she agrees softly. “Are you willing to… Accept my apologies? You indeed shouldn’t have been made to pay for your parent’s actions. No matter what it cost me.”  
“What happened?” Emma asked suddenly. “No one ever told me.”  
Maleficent looks away pained. “Because the only one who knew the truth took that secret to her grave,” she mutters darkly. “I was still a rather young dragon,” she starts, her voice vulnerable with the memory. “My brother, Diablo, was the only friend I had. Dragons aren’t very sociable and those of us who shift are both revered and shunned. We usually chose a form to prioritize. Diablo preferred the dragon, because it made him feel capable of protecting me. I chose a human form and studied the magical arts…” Everyone listens to her story with bathed breath. No one had ever heard this side of the tale before. As they’d heard it Maleficent felt slighted over not being invited to the wedding. But this sounded like there was much more going on.  
“Briar Rose was set to choose a suitor and she decided that only a very specific jewel would convince her to accept anyone’s proposal. A jewel my brother was guarding. One he’d defend to his last breath because it was our mother’s and was meant to be given to me on the day that I returned to our castle for good. I don’t need to tell you what happened next.”  
Emma can feel her father’s hand rest on her shoulder and she looks up. Her parents have joined her and the visiting regents and look heartbroken over the story. As do their guests.  
“I would not allow for your parents to build their lives on his carcass. So I crashed the wedding and took Rose to my castle, showed her what her selfishness had wrought and cursed her. I knew that true love’s kiss would break the curse… But I didn’t believe Stephan loved her. How could anything that resulted in my brother’s death be driven by love?”  
Lilly is hugging her mother’s leg, she too has never been told this story before.  
“Maleficent… If I’d known,” Aurora mutters with a broken voice.  
“We can’t return your brother, but we could return your mother’s treasure to you. And guarantee you and your daughter will be safe should you return to your home in the forbidden mountains,” King Philip assures her. “Can Lilly come over and play?” the prince asks eagerly.  
Emma smiles at the exchange though she is a little sad that her friend is moving away from her kingdom.  
“Emma? Are you alright?” Lilly asks, sensing the shift in Emma’s mood.  
She shrugs. “Emma, we agreed you wouldn’t pretend being fine anymore,” her father reminds her sternly. She blushes. That had been a long and difficult conversation. She’d hated to make her family upset, but in the end she felt much better.  
Not until the feeling was gone did she notice that she’d been ready to run for the hills for a long time now.  
And if she doesn’t want to find herself in another situation where she gets so overwhelmed that running seems like the only real option to her, she has to be honest.  
“I’m just going to miss having you so close by I guess,” she admits.  
Lilly grins and walks back over to the gathered royalty to hug her friend.  
“You really are an airhead sometimes. What part of ‘flying’ is so difficult for you to grasp? I can be here within the hour. You can’t get rid of me that easily,” she chides.  
Emma returns the hug. “Promise?” she breathes with a trembling voice.  
“Promise,” Lilly assures her.  
“Thank you,” Maleficent states sincerely as she gestures for Lilly to return to her side. Lilly obeys after squeezing Emma’s hand one last time. “It will take a bit to pack our things. But we will be returning by the end of the week,” she tells the Moorland regents.  
“We will ensure that there won’t be any misunderstandings complicating your move,” Aurora promises.  
And so, the former mistress of all evil disappears from the throne room with her daughter.  
“Thank you,” Emma tells the king and queen. “And thank you Philip. That was very brave of you.”  
Philip puffs his chest in pride. “Of course. If you say she’s alright, then I’ll believe you,” he tells his friend.  
“Wise words Prince Philip,” Emma’s father tells him approvingly before addressing his guests collectively.  
“Will you stay for dinner?” he suggests as he gestures to the door to the living quarters.  
Emma and Philip grin at each other as they follow their parents through the doors.

A few hours later.

The guests are gone and Emma has gone to her room for the evening.  
David and Snow are in the reading room looking down at Neil as he’s eating when a familiar weight settles into David’s stomach. “I’m going to make sure Emma is in bed and not using her mirror to talk with her friends,” he tells Snow as he kisses her hair. He isn’t sure if something is really wrong or if Emma has simply hit her toe or something like that.   
Once out of his wife’s line of sight he rushes to the nursery.  
“Emma?” he calls out as he enters the room. He finds his daughter blinking away some confusion. She’s standing beside her bed. “Daddy?” she asks as she cocks her head to the side.  
“Is everything alright?” he asks urgently as he walks into the room.  
It’s cold. Sure winter is fast approaching, but the staff is usually vigilant about the bedchambers.  
“Yes… I… I just had a bit of a dizzy spell. Sorry to worry you,” she smiles reassuringly. Her magic sometimes acts without her say so, she knows this.  
He searches her eyes, but can’t find anything that indicates that there is anything distressing going on. If anything she looks quite serene.  
“Alright… If you are sure. Get some sleep Emma. You’ve had quite the day,” he suggests.  
“Yes… Will you tuck me in?” she asks tentatively.  
David is a bit taken aback at the request. Emma hadn’t asked to be tucked in for over a year, and after he announcement she often went to bed without notifying him or Snow. Which left them with no other option than to just check in on her when she is already fast asleep. The past week they had been hesitant to go back to tucking her in.  
“Of course sweetheart… Will you show me a magic trick before I leave?” he asks in return.  
Emma’s face lights up, as was his intention.  
She crawls onto her bed as he pulls the covers over her.  
“Once upon a time,” he starts and she grins as she hears the start of her bedtime story.  
“There were a king and queen who had everything they ever wanted. A beautiful kingdom, true love and two,” he stresses the slight alteration in the story with a playful tap to her nose.  
“Amazing children. There were shadows looming over the kingdom. But the king and queen were not afraid. For their daughter was made of the brightest light and every time she and her brother smiled they set of an amazing song in their hearts that inspired them to be brave. And they taught this courage to their children, knowing that one day they would need it to face the shadows in their own stories. But never fear, my sweet Emma. Because so long as the light of our love shines in your heart, you will have a magic more powerful than the darkness,” he finishes.  
She settles in and lets little lights dance trough the room that settle on all the candles dousing the flames but keeping the darkness away with their own light. She missed having her parents tuck her in. Maybe, maybe she doesn’t need to be quite so grown up just yet.  
“That’s beautiful darling,” her father complements as he kisses her forehead.  
“Thanks daddy, goodnight,” she says.  
The king smiles warmly at his little girl. “Goodnight.”

Time speeds forward once more. The Charming Kingdom gets to know their princess as the Moorlands get used to the forbidden mountains once more housing the dragon witch as well as her child.  
Emma’s friends and their parents get introduced to Lilly and she soon is accepted by all.  
It is even agreed that, since Lilly is only a month older than Emma, she should celebrate her birthday along with the princesses as a special guest.  
So that is how Lilly is joining them at the shores of Sardinia to be brought to Atlantica for their sleep over.  
“Keep these bracelets on you the whole time. They’ll allow you to swim and breathe under water,” Ariel stresses sternly as she hands out the bracelets to each of them. Lilly looks back at Emma nervously. “It’s alright. Regina would make fish stew out of Triton if anything happened to us. The magic is sound.” Lilly snorts as she fails to keep in her laughter at that reassurance. Was that Regina’s, Killian’s or her own influence? Probably all of the above and some of Emma’s own pension for not caring what others thought of her. So long as she is not on ‘princess duty’ at least.  
Encouraged Lilly puts the bracelet on and then follows the others into the water. As soon as they are waist deep she can feel a change. She once more follows their lead and dives forward. Before she really gets a grasp of what’s happening they have swam far off the shore and are several feet under the water level. Suddenly they come to a stop to allow the new swimmers a moment to take in all the new sensations. It’s like she’s on land, but not quite. She feels weightless and her lungs aren’t taking in any air but she still feels like she’s breathing. She can see perfectly fine even though what she sees is the light on the surface and the dark debts of the ocean floor. But more than that she sees Emma and her friends all around her, as well as the merman sent to escort them to the palace.  
Melody has a salmon colored classic mermaid tail, Alexandra’s resembles that of a dolphin, Emma’s a Koi and she… She looks down. Her tail is scaled and smooth. Not like a fish. But like a snake. She’s a sea serpent.  
“Cool!” she hears Emma’s voice, though it’s strangely distorted by the water.  
She looks up again and sees that the girls are looking at her in various degrees of awed and approving. They don’t think it’s weird?  
“You are going to be a bit faster than the rest of us, so try not to get too far ahead. Alex might be able to keep up, but me and Em will fall behind quickly,” Melody warns.  
“I thought all mermaids just went crazy fast?” Lilly says. It feels weird to talk under water.  
Melody laughs. “Well yes. But some are even crazy faster than others,” she explains.  
“Well, I’ll try to restrain myself then,” Lilly agrees.  
Restraining herself isn’t necessary however as she can’t help but join the others in making extravagant maneuvers. It’s almost like flying but not quite.  
“So, if you had to choose,” Alexandra asks as they gather on the bedroom floor that evening.  
They’d had a tour of the city. Melody’s grandfather is a bit intimidating at first, but really kind once you get past that. It won’t be easy to leave in time for the party tomorrow with such an amazing place to explore.  
“Flying or swimming I mean?” the young heiress clarifies.  
“Well… It’s hard to say. I’ve been flying for a few years now. To me it’s a bit like horseback riding is to you. I think that if any of you could try out flying for a day, that would win out over anything else as well. So right now, swimming. But if I have more practice with this I might change my mind,” she offers.  
“That makes sense,” Melody nods before turning to Emma. “So what’s all this about a pirate? Why not tell us? First magic now this. What other secrets have you been hiding from me?” she demands.  
“None, that was it, I promise. Killian and Lilly were my only secret friends and now you know about them,” Emma promises.  
“Killian huh? Captain Hook… You know, his name comes up in the gossip around these parts every once in a while…”  
“I can imagine it does. But until you’ve met him you can’t make a fair judgement over him can you. At the next opportunity, I’ll introduce you.”  
Melody’s eyes glint at that. “Good because his ship landed an hour ago and I have an idea of a superb prank,” she whispers, as if suddenly afraid of eavesdroppers.  
“Killian is back already?” Emma mutters with a frown. It had really already been a month since his last visit. It was almost time for the new year to start now and Killian’s new reputation is starting to spread. Though he assures her that if any pirate tries to challenge the cut of his blade, he’ll find himself without a ship, crew or freedom very quickly.  
Still, she wishes he’d let her put a protection charm on him. But he thinks it’s bad form.  
He and his stupid honor.  
“What kind of prank?” she asks Melody.  
“Well, you know that song of yours? The one without words?”  
Emma hums the tune and Melody nods. “I have the words,” she tells her as she retrieves a waterproofed parchment from her satchel and hands it over to Emma, who soon has both Alexandra and Lilly reading along over her shoulders.  
“This is actually pretty cool,” she smirks as she gets the picture Melody has in mind.  
“So… You’re in?”  
The three girls look at each other and then look at their mermaid friend.  
“We’re in.”  
Sneaking out of their rooms is a piece of cake. Emma kind of suspects some guard is following them at a distance in case they get into trouble.  
Soon Melody has lead them to the spot where the Jolly is sailing overhead.  
Emma smiles up at the vessel. Killian and his crew are sailing off to their first destination, unaware of what awaits them.  
“Everyone knows the words?” Melody checks.  
They all nod. “Emma you just sing it the way you always do. To add the undertone of familiarity,” the mermaid instructs.  
Emma nods in agreement and swims up until she breaks the surface. The Jolly is already well past where they found her moments ago, but for this bit she needs distance. She sings her part and then dives under to get closer again. Killian is going to freak.

Good moods are part of the course when it comes to leaving Neverland nowadays. Not only is it a break from that cursed land, but he has things to look forward to. Adventures to go on that are both challenging and rewarding. Not to mention his friends on shore. He and the king have actually formed the beginnings of a friendly bond during his last visit and Lady Belle was a sharp woman who offered him great challenge both with her wit and with the quests she had him take her on.  
And then there were Lilly, Roland and Emma all of whom now openly spent time with him both on his ship and in Emma’s home. And this time, he has something extra…  
he’s caught in his thoughts by a familiar melody. But that’s impossible. Emma is at home in bed. Only she and those close to her would know the significance of that song.  
Only she would know what that song stands for in his mind.  
He rushes to the back of the ship, starboard side where he’d heard it coming from to see if he could make out anything significant. They were in safe waters, no reefs or cliffs for as far as the eye can see. It wouldn’t make sense for sirens to dwell here. And how would they know…?  
Then he hears it again, closer and from the other side.  
“Cap’n what is that?” Smee asks nervously.  
“Not sure,” he admits as he rushes over and takes a look. There is something on the water…  
“Captain can you hear us?” a chorus of young voices echoes through the air. What in the bloody hell is this? “Listen to our song.”  
“Cap’n?!” Smee urges worriedly as he as well as the other men join him to watch as figures move through the water. Just far enough that he won’t be able to properly aim at it from a moving ship.  
“The ocean blue is where you belong,” the voices continue. Why and how do they know it? What do they want from him? He is so preoccupied with these worries that he doesn’t realize that why enchanting, the song doesn’t actually have a hold on him, nor does it affect his crew in any way other than to sow confusion and a bit of dread.  
“No reason to fight it.  
Deep inside you know, you belong with us, bellow.”  
“Boo!” Killian lets out a strange mix of a curse, a growl and a scream as he spins around and finds.  
“Emma!” he seethes accusingly.  
“You should have seen your face!” she giggles. “All of you, priceless.”  
“Emma! Did it work?” a voice came from just beside the ship.  
“It was amazing! That was an inspired idea Mel!” Emma replies, much to the amusement of her accomplices, if the giggling is anything to go by. Suddenly the sound is cut off. Killian is not going to concern himself with who Emma was talking with. Rather he is worried about how his young friend found herself on his ship. “How did you get here Swan?” he demands. They are hours sailing away from the nearest shore.  
“I swam,” she grins, pointing to her wet hair and the droplets still clinging to her skin.  
“But… How?” he asks baffled.  
“Well… This,” she shows of a bracelet and he recognizes the make. Merfolk magic.  
“Hey! Careful,” comes from behind Emma and they look around to see Lilly hovering in the air, her wings out and two princesses scrambling up from the floor where they just lost their footing.  
Emma looks at him and winks. “Princesses,” she mouths. He could guess that much, judging by their dresses. But he knows what she is suggesting.  
He looks back at his men with a grin and a wink and they fall in line. One thing Emma has brought back to his crew is the concept of having fun.  
Killian steps forward and plants himself right in front of the two princesses that are still trying to get up, Emma standing at his right side, posture perfect and unwavering. The girls freeze as their eyes land on his boots. The two girls are on their hands and knees and slowly look up until their eyes reach his face. Killian throws back his cloak and lays his hand on his sword, drawing the curious eyes back to his waist before they force themselves to look back up. They are nervous, but not yet afraid. Good, he wouldn’t be pleased to have to put up with a set of damsels on his ship.  
“What have you brought me Swan?” he asks seriously. It’s only fair that the girls get a taste of their own medicine.  
“My friends, Melody of Sardinia and Alexandra of Naucratis captain,” Emma tells him formally.  
“I see.” He draws his blade and the girls are on their feet in an instant, though Alexandra has to cling to Melody for support as she feels the ship sway on the waves underneath her.  
“Sharp girls I see. Good. I have no use for slow witted scaredy-cats on my ship. Do I men?”  
“Nay!” the crew choruses.  
“Ahoy captain!” Lilly grins as she lands on his left side, retracting her wings.  
“Ahoy lady Lilly. Can you speak for these landlubbers?”  
“The Swan’s word is not enough?” she asks baffled. “When has that ever happened?”  
“Well, this one,” he nods to the girl lacking the intricate merfolk bracelet, who he assumes is the half-mermaid among the group Emma had earlier addressed as ‘Mel’ and then introduced as ‘Melody of Sardinia’. “Thought it was wise to make me and my men think we were about to fall prey to the curse of the mermaids. Why haven’t you or Emma dissuaded her from that notion? You two should know better,” he says his tone slightly berating as he looks down to the two girls. They look a bit embarrassed.  
“We didn’t mean any harm. It’s not easy to catch a pirate with a century of experience of guard you know?” Emma argues.  
“I was just shocked to discover that the bad influence in Em’s life might be another princess and not one of us. I wanted to see if they really were going to go through with it,” Lilly explains.  
“Wait,” Emma exclaims as she looks around him to her friend. “You were serious about that? Lil, you really think that just because we are royalty we are always well behaved? My favorite past time is pranking the dwarves and sneaking around the castle when I’m not supposed to. And it has been since well before we met,” Emma clarifies. “Don’t flatter yourself,” she teases her with a wink.  
Killian clears his throat to get the girls back on track.  
“Sorry sir!” Lilly hurries as she straightens herself out again. “I haven’t spent a lot of time with them, but I know Alexandra is trustworthy. She knew Emma had magic and a friend who turns into a dragon for ages and never spilled the beans to anyone.”  
“You knew?!” Melody pouts.  
“I didn’t know she is Maleficent’s daughter,” Alexandra says, knowing that it wouldn’t make much difference to their curious friend. “We love you Mel, you know we do. But sometimes you act first and think two days later,” she explains. The girl frowns but sighs. “Yeah… I’m probably not the best choice when it comes to keeping exciting secrets,” she admits.  
“But she is very helpful and they are very open minded,” Lilly tells him. “And honest, so there’s that,” she adds.  
Killian purses his lips as if he has to think about it. “I suppose… Still, can’t have just anyone board my ship. My crew and I might have turned to a more peaceful life on the seas, but we are still pirates. We have to keep up our reputation,” he ponders. The two princesses stare from him to their friends, looking for help. Help that won’t come.  
“Damien!” he calls out to their resident medic. He doesn’t look back. He can hear that the man is rushing below deck.  
“Where is he going?” Melody whispers tensely, eying the back of the ship and reaching for Alexandra’s hand. Ready to grab her and dive into the water if needed. Good instincts. He can appreciate that. Alexandra however looks between Emma and Lilly and relaxes just a bit. Trusting that if anything bad was going to happen her friends would stick up for them more. Again, something he can appreciate. It looks like the future queendoms of these young princesses are in good hands.  
Moments later the sound of an accordion livens up the atmosphere, making the girls laugh in relief and within moments a pirate’s party is in full swing.  
“Look alive men. We are still in open waters. Skylights?”  
“Aye captain!” their lookout calls down. “Ensure our course stays true. Have someone relieve you from duty in twenty minutes!” he instructs.  
“Thank you captain!” the man calls back.  
“Now ladies, either you join us in our merriment or you return to your beds,” he instructs as he turns to Emma with his blade still drawn. “Is your blade still as sharp as your wit?” he asks.  
Emma smirks and with a vague gesture, suddenly her cutlass is at her side, summoned from her room miles away. He wonders when she’ll stop outdoing herself. Probably never. Emma is the type to push forward and never be content with where she’s at. “Let’s find out.” The look in her eyes shows her determination to try and beat him. Another thing that he feels is never going to change.  
Soon the two are locked in combat, cheered on by Emma’s friends and the crew. Killian defeats her, but she shows improvement, as always. Every time he sees her she’s grown. Be it physical, mental or in skill. He never really got the chance to get used to six year old or seven year old Emma. Due to their adventure in Oz he feels like he did get used to eight year old Emma, but already he sees how that girl is changing and learning and growing. It’s normal at this age, he knows this. But the fact that he sees her but a few hours a month doesn’t make it easier.  
The letters help, they keep him updated on the things he missed, but they also drive home how much she grows while he isn’t there.  
Her first letters were clumsily put together notes of beginnings of thoughts. But partly because of the practice their correspondence provided she gained confidence and soon her letters became complex insights into her mind.  
He draws comfort when she says things are the same. Like how she still doesn’t really get foreign languages, not for lack of trying on her part. It’s just not her strong suit. Or that she still prefers to wear her hair as long as it’ll grow. If her mother would let her she’d grow it until it tickled her ankles, he’s sure. But the queen felt that just above the waist was quite long enough.  
He can’t fault her, she’s the one who does Emma’s hair in the mornings. A routine both Emma and the queen value too much to share with any of the castle staff.  
“You should sing!” Emma’s voice pulls him out of his musings and he sees that she is talking to her friend Melody who’s suddenly very shy. The girl who carelessly boarded a pirate ship after putting the crew on edge, the one Killian recalls from Emma’s stories about her friends to be eager to put herself center stage at any opportunity, was suddenly meek as a lamb.  
“No one wants to hear me sing…” she mutters nervously.  
“I assure you lass, even if you’re terrible, you’re better than Chip,” he tells her casually. The man in question chuckles. His voice is famously horrendous and he knows it.  
“See? Come on! One song before we go back?” Emma insists.  
“Leaving already Swan?” Jamie, their cabin boy, objects disappointedly. He likes not being the kid on deck every once in a while.  
“We have a big party to be at tomorrow. We should be sleeping right now,” Emma explains.  
“Well… There’s this lullaby my mom learned from her mother…” Melody suggests.  
“A real mermaid lullaby?” Emma exclaims and the girls turn to their friend curiously.  
Looking around and seeing that she has the entire crew’s attention she sighs.  
“I… I’m not as good as my mom,” she warns. Ah, the legacy complex. Never easy to live up to a parental figure’s example. Emma has voiced similar concerns about her inherited legacy.  
“You are eight lass,” Killian points out. “Now is the time to practice singing. And if you start avoiding audiences now, it won’t suddenly be easy to sing in front of others when you are older. No one aboard this ship will make you feel uncomfortable lass. Or they’ll walk the plank,” he assures her. The crew nods. “Ah’ll push them off meself!” Chip announces, and the others laugh and give him playful shoves. Melody relaxes as the laughter dies down and the crew settles in for the song. Killian looks up and can see Starkey, who’s taken the crow’s nest, also has his attention on the activities on deck. And then she starts singing.  
“Oh, the waves roll low and the waves roll high and so it goes…” As the line dies out the last of her nerves wash away as she lets herself be swept up by memories and when she sings the next lines her voice is full of emotion and even a faint trace of Merefolk magic. “Under a bright, blue, endless sky. Waves try to measure, the day’s that we treasure, wave hello and wave goodbye.”  
Killian observed his crew as a wave of serenity washes over them all. It reminds him off the one other time they had a daughter of the sea as their guest. Of the terrible act he committed out of pure spite. He’d been angry at the time and had regretted it ever since.  
His eyes fall on Emma. Her godmother had taken a voice once and returned it. Why couldn’t he do the same?

The next morning Killian was up bright and early. He wasn’t expected on shore until sunset. Plenty of time to do what he intended. They’d weighed anchor at a small island, there were no permanent inhabitants but it was a good place to stock up on some fruit and take a break from the open waters. He doesn’t expect his crew back for an hour at least. He’d even sent Smee off to enjoy a bit of shore leave.  
He looked at the shell in his hand, he’d acquired it and the smaller one it connected to ages ago. It was a useful tool for a man of the sea. After meeting Emma he figured he’d give her the shell if it ever seemed like they’d be separated for a long time. Now that that seems very unlikely he wishes to give it to her as a gift the next chance he gets.  
He’s glad he hasn’t yet though, as the shell serves one very important purpose.  
“Here goes nothing,” he mutters tensely. She won’t be thrilled to see him, but that’s why he has his gift at the ready as well.  
He puts the shell to his lips and plays a long insistent note, focusing his mind on the parley he seeks.  
“You have some nerve,” a voice growls from bellow. He looks down and sees Ursula rise from the waters.  
He holds up the instrument of his betrayal. “I trust you’ve heard I’ve been mending my ways?” he starts. Not wanting to risk formalities if it might get him killed.  
Ursula’s face, twisted in hate and pain a moment ago, fell completely slack in surprise. What did she think he wanted? “Why?” she asks.  
“I had a visitor last night who reminded me of you. And… Well, I would be loathe should anyone accuse me of cowardice… So I want to start with saying, I was wrong. I can never undo what was taken that day, not fully. I was selfish and blinded by feelings I don’t even wish to think back on now. It’s no excuse. I knew it was wrong when I did it. I was a villain back then. I’m trying to be better now. So… While I can’t turn back time,” not without one heck of a spell and a lot of risks involved at least.  
“I can try to do the right thing now. Will you let me?”  
Ursula eyes the trinket longingly, but when she looks back she is suspicious. “What’s in it for you?”  
Killian chuckles. “Thinking like a pirate I see… Well… The ability to sleep a bit better… I do feel guilty for the people I’ve wronged in my fits of anger Ursula. You are very high on that list. If not on the very top. Luckily for me, my crime against you is one that can be taken back… There are others I’ll just have to live with.” Countless people who died for being in his way at the wrong time. Widows and orphans he never wished to think of in the past. He can’t undo those things. But with every slave he frees now, with every dangerous artefact he hands over to Regina so it can be destroyed and even every time he does something kind to his new friends, he can lighten that burden just a bit.  
“That’s it?” she asks perplexed. Killian nods. “I won’t even ask your forgiveness. For all, I know I return your voice and you drown me for my troubles. I wouldn’t blame you,” he says sincerely.  
“Though I hope you won’t,” he jests a little bit tense.  
Without waiting for a reaction he releases the voice… Or tries to… What the…?  
“I don’t understand...” he frowns, this should have worked. Why is there no magic happening?  
“What is there not to understand?” Ursula sighs defeated, on the verge of tears. “We’re villains. That can’t be changed. And villains don’t get happy endings,” Ursula seethes.  
“I know of a former Evil Queen and a dragon who can tell you that that’s not true…” he insists.  
He is not out of options yet. He’s not an expert on magic, but luckily he has means to contact people who are far more skilled in that area.  
“Wait for a few minutes, I’ll be right back,” he instructs her as he hurries to his cabin where he faced a mirror gifted to him by Regina. “Hey! Mirror man…” What did Emma say…? Amin was it? Amin! Answer me!”  
The face that appears looks thoroughly annoyed. “What can I do for you?”  
He supposes he was a bit rude, but he doesn’t want Ursula to go on a rampage due to a freshly broken heart.  
“Apologies mate, but it’s urgent. Can you ask Emma to contact me please?”  
Amin nods, disappears and instead he sees Emma in the process of brushing her hair. Still in the underwater palace, just getting ready to leave it seems.  
“Killian!?” she exclaims in surprise putting down her brush.  
“Miss me already?” she teases happily.  
“I’m afraid this isn’t a call for pleasantries luv,” he smiles apologetically. “You know I’ve done some bad things in the past?”  
Emma nods. “Well… I tried to return a happy ending I took.” He shows the shell.  
“This holds a singing voice, but I can’t return it…”  
Emma frowns and thinks for a moment before answering. “Well… Activating magic is easy if the spell is already cast. But the caster is usually the only one who can reverse it. Why do you think Ariel didn’t just go to a random sorceress or a fairy to get her voice back?”  
That makes sense. “Do you know who made that shell?” Emma asks.  
“It was given to me by Poseidon,” he tells her.  
“What’s that about Poseidon?” A new voice enters the conversation. It’s Melody who’s looking over Emma’s shoulder. “Oh, hey captain! Why do you need my great-grandfather?” the princess asks.  
Of course, he can’t believe his luck. “Lass, how would you feel about making your great grandfather extremely happy?” he asks, hoping that he isn’t the only one with regrets about that day.

“So?” Ursula demands, not very hopeful as he returns to deck. He’s just glad she stayed.  
“Hello darling.” Killian doesn’t remember Poseidon’s voice ever sounding so gentle. It’s clear the man is happy to see his daughter again, but also nervous about the reunion.  
“Father!” she exclaims as she staggers back. Poseidon holds his hands up in a sign that he is here with peaceful intentions.  
“Ursula, I’m sorry about everything. I let my grief over your mother’s passing cloud my judgement. It was wrong to force you to use your mother’s voice in such a way, to force you to be the weapon of my wrath instead of grieving with you. You needed me and I let you down.” The retired king of the sea takes a deep breath. “A little mermaid visited me with her friend today, and they made quite the passionate argument. Though they could have saved themselves a lot of shouting. I’ve been wondering about a way to return what I took for ages. Sadly the captain’s ship does not give away it’s treasures easily.”  
Killian shrugs and hands over the shell. With a gesture of his hand, Poseidon activates the shell and releases the voice that’s been shut away from the world for much too long.  
Ursula’s face lights up as she feels it return to her.  
Poseidon blinks away a tear as he bows his head. “Goodbye then, my dear,” he says sadly, not convinced he can’t just swim back into his daughter’s life.  
“Daddy wait!” Ursula hurries. Her voice much more gentle and warm.  
“We’ve both lost too much already. I want to start again. Together.”  
Poseidon’s eyes light up and he embraces his daughter tightly. When they let go, Ursula looks back at Killian who’s been as quiet and invisible as possible this whole conversation.  
“Thank you Killian… For my voice, for my father. I know you said you didn’t need anything in return… but I want you to know, that I’ve spent enough time now lashing out at others because of my own anger and hurt that I can understand what you did. I forgive you.”  
It’s a blanket of comfort, he hasn’t forgiven himself, but knowing that Ursula is free from her anger at him now too, is reassuring.  
“Thank you,” he says politely and then bids the two goodbye.

“Announcing! Captain Killian Jones!” the herald stated as Killian walked into the ballroom. He gets glances here and there, some suspicious, some jealous, a few curious and quite some… Interested.  
He’s dressed quite nicely, he thinks. Even buttoned his shirt all the way up. But he didn’t own anything that wouldn’t stand out in a setting like this. He left the coat on the ship at least.  
Which of course means that the ladies and gentleman are free to take in his physique as well as the sword on his hip. He’s here not just as a guest after all.  
He doesn’t pay the stares any mind as he marches trough the crowd. He has a destination in mind.  
“Fancy meeting you here lady Maleficent, miss Lilly” he greets calmly. He can only imagine the shock of the audience when they entered.  
“Glad you could make it Jones,” the dark woman greets politely, scanning the room with her eyes with a stoic expression wile her daughter beamed up at him in her royal purple dress with silver details. He sent her a smirk and a wink in response.  
“You almost missed the main event,” Malificent points out. He shrugs.  
“I wasn’t particularly interested in standing around for ages. Besides, I’m a pirate. I should be late. If anything. Might’ve been tempted if the job didn’t pay so well,” he says casually.  
Maleficent looks at him with a skeptically raised brow and he winks.  
In truth he is doing this for next to nothing, other than arranged accommodations for him and his men for the night. But still, the evening would reap a huge reward.  
“King Poseidon and his daughter Lady Ursula!” the herald announces suddenly. Killian looks up and grins as he sees the two of them walk down the stairs gracefully, as if neither of them had been absent of any public event for the past decade or so. He’s starting to worry they are stealing attention away from the guests of honor.  
He makes a subtle bow towards the final arrivals from across the ballroom, getting a smile in return as they make their way to the other guests from Atlantica. He is relieved to see that Ursula seems to be welcomed with warmth and acceptance.  
“Any chance that your old friend Cruella will join the ranks of dark queens that emerge from the shadows?” Killian asks. Because he would assist in that, but until that woman mended her ways she would be wise to steer clear of Emma.  
“No. She is… Different.” Killian nods in understanding. Many of those who walk the road of darkness both hate it and depend on it to protect them. But there are those among them that like the darkness. Who consider it their friend. Cruella was one such person. Emma can’t meet her kind. Not until she’s a fully accomplished fighter in every aspect.  
“So, I understand I’m to chaperone someone?” he asks her. He was told that she would guide him to his charge for the night.“You understand correctly. She is glamoured. Emerald green dress, tries to look like she swallowed a lemon,” Maleficent tells him.  
He nods in understanding and lets his eyes drift and finds the woman in question.  
She is indeed glamoured, but little has been altered. Only her green skin is replaced with a more natural color. He excuses himself as he walks towards Zelena.  
“Green does look quite lovely on you lady Zelena,” he offers politely. He is still not the biggest fan of the witch, but she is Roland and Emma’s aunt. So he will treat her with civility.  
Which is more than he can say of her behavior. The woman rolls her eyes and stares him down. He is not intimidated. Partly because she is without magic if he is honest.  
“So the Charmings sent their pet pirate to babysit me?” she scoffs.  
Killian is not deterred by the insult nor the petulant bite in her voice.  
“I believe the term used was ‘chaperone’,” he admits bluntly.  
“And my instructions are to ensure you have a nice evening. Nothing more.”  
This seems to surprise the witch. “Your sister’s exact words were: redeemed or not, she’s overdue for a ball. And at least one of us should be allowed to enjoy their first,” he recalls.  
“Though I don’t think I was meant to hear that part.” He is quite certain of that actually. He’d overheard it when he was summoned to Regina’s castle during his last visit to receive his instructions for tonight.  
“So, don’t be difficult and then we can both enjoy ourselves alright?” he suggests.  
Before Zelena can even consider biting something back, the audience turns to the stairs that lead to the royal chambers where the herald taps his staff against the marble steps.  
“Her highness! Queen Regina! Sir Robin and their son Roland!”  
The family comes down and the entire room bows as one. Almost, Killian has to subtly pull on Zelena’s elbow and hiss “behave for five minutes.”  
Regina and her family return the gesture before taking their place next to the staircase and looking up for the next arrivals.  
“Their majesties, King David and Queen Snow white. Reigning sovereigns of the infinite lands of Misthaven and their son prince Neil!” Once again the announced royal family appears on top of the stairs. This routine is repeated for both Alexandra and Melody’s parents and then, the highly anticipated moment arrives.  
“And now presenting for the first time to you all!” The doors opened and bright light obscured everyone’s view. A kaleidoscope of butterflies with wings shining in the light as thought they were made of crystal flew in and disappeared to reveal the first princess.  
“Princess Alexandra! Future queen of Naucratis!” the blond girl was dressed in a modest white dress. Though a few butterflies seem to have settled on her waist and were glistering in the light as the door closed behind her. Her hair was down, coming just past her shoulders and a crown of daisies rest on her head.  
She is smiling, but she looks intensely focused as she bows for the audience, who bows back and applauds for her as she descends the stairs.  
“I think the lass feared she’d fall,” Killian observes as the girl seems to let out a sigh of relief when she reaches her place with her parents.  
The door opened again and this time a flock of bluebirds preceded the princess. Killian grins proudly as he sees Emma emerge, head held high and no trace of doubts or nerves. At least not to the untrained eye. Emma’s white dress is adorned with dawn feathers, buttercups are woven in her hair.   
“Princess Emma! Future queen of the infinite lands of Misthaven.”  
She bows in acknowledgement of her title and this time Killian doesn’t need to remind Zelena to bow or applaud with the others.  
Only when Emma joins her parents does she let her eyes really scan the audience, and when she sees him she lights up. The surprise was a success. Killian winks at her and she offers him the smallest nod in acknowledgement.  
“Who thought the little loudmouth could be so serene?” Zelena observes bemused.  
“She’s quite the actress,” Killian acknowledges. “But you aren’t the only one I’m here to entertain. She’s been dreading this night as much as she’s been anticipating it,” he tells the witch.  
“Oh, poor darling. A big party in her honor.” Zelena mutters sarcastically.  
“See all the people who brought their children?” Zelena looks around. There are indeed many children present of around Emma’s age or a few years older.  
“They hope to make their son or daughter a future king or queen, or at least gain favor with the princesses in some way. It’s all political darling,” he tells her.  
Zelena goes quiet at that. Considering those words and seeing the party in a new light.  
Killian recalls Emma’s letter about her birthday ball. The way she talked about it it had been both the best and the worst. She liked dancing with people she knew and the food and being told by the adults how lovely she looks. But then there were those who didn’t seem to get that she is not a delicate flower in need of protecting. Or those who talked about her to her parents as if she wasn’t there.  
The doors open again, pulling him out from his train of thoughts. This time soap bubbles float out, glistening in the air before popping, raining down on the dark haired princess who’s white dress and hair are covered in glitter.  
“Princess Melody. Future Queen of Sardinia!”  
The half mermaid princess bows and joins her family.  
“Now the princesses shall open the ball!” the herald announces. Prompting the musicians to start playing and the crowd to make room. The girls walked over to the middle and started moving in a graceful dance around each other. It was delightful to watch.  
Then the kings walked up to the girls, bowed for their respective daughters and started to waltz through the room.  
Killian smiles as he sees Emma relax and laugh with her father.  
The music changes and he turns to Zelena. “Let’s see what you’ve got,” he challenges.  
Zelena raises her head defiantly and possibly out of pure spite, lets him guide her trough the dance.  
Killian doesn’t waste his breath on giving the woman a complement. She is quite the dancer, but she probably wouldn’t believe him if he said that.  
“She does care for you you know?” he mutters calmly.  
Zelena’s eyes narrow in warning. She does not want to talk about this.  
“Emma,” Killian presses on as if he didn’t notice. “And your sister as well. They worry. According to Emma’s letters you barely leave your room.”  
An annoyed sigh and a pair of rolling eyes was all he expected to get for his trouble, but Zelena gave him just a little more to work with.  
“And do what? Have a tea party with people who are waiting for me to turn them into monkeys?”  
Killian shrugs. “At first, yes. It takes work to fix things with those you have wronged. But if you don’t start, it’ll never become easier. Tell me Zelena, what do you have to lose if you give this family a chance?”  
That clearly gives her plenty food for thought as she goes quiet for the longest time after that.  
Which is fine with Killian. He keeps tabs on Emma as they dance and she gets introduced to royals. It doesn’t surprise him in the slightest when he sees her charm the room with little to no effort.  
It doesn’t take long though before she is met with a family that seems to be making her uncomfortable and gets shoved together with their son for a dance.  
“Intervention time luv,” Killian warns Zelena as he guides them to where Emma and the awkward boy are clumsily swaying to the music.  
“Your highness, it’s an honor,” he greets grandly as he bows for her.  
Emma is beaming at him and her eyes shine with gratitude for the excuse to stop dancing. The boy seems equally relieved.  
“Captain Jones, Lady Zelena, I trust you are both enjoying the ball,” she greets formally with a bow.  
“The ball is magnificent though it pales in comparison to you and your fellow princesses. The kingdoms are blessed to have such wonderful girls as their future queens,” he tells her.  
“Apologies, but my feet are aching. Could you take the captain of my hands for a minute?”  
Both Killian and Emma are surprised that Zelena would offer her help like that.  
Emma blinked and then sent her a happy smile. “Of course, I shall return him to your care promptly,” she promises before bowing to the boy and excusing herself. The boy waves her off and hurries back towards his parents.  
“Well, if lady Zelena insists,” Killian allows as he takes Emma’s hands and starts guiding her trough the waltz that stated playing.  
Zelena watches them go for a moment before she makes her way to the side of the ballroom.  
On her way she picks up a flute of champagne from one of the silver platters carried around by the servants.  
She settles against a wall and takes in the scene, stubbornly telling herself that her feet really do hurt.  
That the appreciative smile of the pirate and the beaming smile of the girl had not made her wonder if Jones had a point when he suggested that trying would cost her nothing.  
“Pardon me mademoiselle,” a smooth voice pulled her out of her musings. She looked up and her eyes found a handsome, dark man who’d already taken her hand in his.  
“I couldn’t help but notice such a lovely wallflower and just had to introduce myself.” With a flourish he took of his hat and kissed her hand. “Doctor Facillier, a pleasure lady…?”  
“Zelena,” she replied without thinking. There was just something about this man that made him hard to refuse.  
“Zelena,” he repeated gently as he let go of her hand, but his eyes still held hers hostage.  
“Tell me Zelena, I sense a strong magical potential in you, but it seems… defective somehow, if you don’t mind my phrasing.”  
She minded very much. “There’s nothing wrong with my magic!” she snapped. “It’s just… not with me right now.”  
The man’s face morphs into one of shock and horror, though something deep inside Zelena screams not to trust him.  
“That is horiffic!” he then finally let go of her gaze to scan the crowd and Zelena followed his gaze as it locked onto something… Emma.  
“You know… I can give you back what you lost, for a price.”  
At that statement he turned back to her and laid a hand on her face to make her look at him once more.  
“What do you say lovely? Are you willing to make a deal?”  
It was so tempting but…  
“What’s the price?” She had been thought by Rumpelstiltskin after all.  
Facillier chuckled. “Nothing of consequence to you I promise. I simply require your help in obtaining the princess’ light.”  
Zelena can’t claim that there wasn’t at least a small part of her that wanted to jump at the chance.  
But… Emma had made it a point to visit her and talk to her whenever they were in the same castle.  
And her sister, who loved Emma dearly, had been trying to connect with her as well…  
“I… I can’t do that,” she finds herself saying. Again a fairly big part of her was screaming at her. How could she be so stupid to miss this chance. But strangely the part of her that felt relieved at those words leaving her mouth was bigger.  
Facillier blinked in surprise and then chuckled. “I see. Well if you ever find that you can,” he drawls smoothly as he produces a tarot card and hands it over. Zelena looks at it. The devil.  
Not ominous or anything.  
“Hold it tight and say my name. I shall always answer,” he vows. Zelena blinked and then he was gone. Part of her wanted to tear up the card, but this time, that part wasn’t big enough to stop her from tucking it away. There was no harm in trying, the pirate had a point there, but it pays to have a back up plan in case you fail right?

**Author's Note:**

> This is the story the cast is reading in my work:  
A different story  
You can read this and never even think about that one though.  
I hope you'll enjoy it!


End file.
